The Longest Ride
by fictionwriter765
Summary: What happens after Luke asks Sophia to marry her? What do they do with all of the money? The day after she says yes, Sophia and Luke decide how they will create their new life together.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hey guys! this is my first story I've written and it is a continuation of The Longest Ride. If you've read the book, it picks up after the epilogue. Please read and review. I will post more soon if I get enough reviews. I also do not own any part of this book or movie. Enjoy...**

The next morning, Sofia woke up from the best sleep ever to a seaming cup of coffee and her fiancee laying next to her. "Morning, Babe." He said as she yawned and stretched. "We've got to get going if we are going to make it to the store before lunch time." "Ya , Ya." she replied, "Just give me a second to wake up, Would you?" He chuckled softly and whispered, "Okay, I'll be back in a few minutes, but then you really do have to get up." Sofia sat up and stretched again, reaching for her cup and taking small sips of the rich, hot drink. As she got up and started making the bed, Luke returned and walked around to greet her with a sweet kiss. "I've got to shower and then we can go, okay?" Sofia asked. "Okay." Luke replied. "I have to run over to my mom's to get something, but I'll be right back." As he turned and left the room, Sofia couldn't help but admire the fact that she had been so lucky to fall in love with the man of her dreams.

When Sofia got out of the shower, Luke was sitting on the front porch looking out across all the pastures. She walked outside and sat on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing his cheek. "You know, we really do need to get going if we want to make it to the store before lunch time." She teasingly mocked him. He tickled her belly, making her giggle happily, and she got up to put her shoes on. As they walked out to his truck, they held hands and made each other laugh, only pausing for him to open the door for her and then walking around to get into the car himself. "Well I think this place is a good place to live until we figure out what to do, but you let me know if you have any thoughts about it, okay?" Luke told Sofia, grabbing her hand and kissing the back of it softly. "I have to agree. But we can talk about it later. This place is just fine for now." She replied.

When they returned, they emptied all of the grocery bags and put the food away, then went for a stroll around the peaceful lake on the property hand in hand. "We really do need to start planning the wedding." Sofia reminded. "I know, but I just want to enjoy the fact that I am marrying you at all." Luke replied. "Well, for starters, how many people are you thinking? Maybe a few hundred?" Sofia prodded. Luke stopped walking and looked into her eyes. "I know this is probably what every guy says, but as long as I am standing up there saying 'I do' with you, I really couldn't care less how many people are there or what the cake tastes like or anything else for that matter. I also don't care how much it costs or what kind of crazy exotic flowers you want to fly in from India for the ceremony. I really don't care. If you're happy, then I am." Sofia looked at him and, seeing the love in his eyes, and said, "How did I get so lucky to find such an amazing, sexy guy?" Luke winked at her before pulling her in for a deep kiss. When he pulled back, he looked at the time on his phone and said, "I need to leave soon for that meeting with bull riding league. Will you be okay here until I get back? It shouldn't be later than 7 o'clock." That's fine. I think I'll run over to campus and get some clothes, see Marcia, and I can use the time to finish my paper." She Replied. "Okay sounds good. What do you want to do for dinner? We could meet at a restaurant, order in, anything you're up to." I'll probably just throw something together, but if I fail, I'll text you to pick up some food on the way home." "Awesome, I love you!" He said, kissing her and jogging off to his car." Love you too! And be careful. Text me when you're on your way back." As he tipped his hat in response, he jumped in his truck and drove off. Sofia started walking back to the house. She had some work to do before he returned if she wanted to pull of the dinner she had planned for him.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN- Thought I would add another chapter:) This story is a little bit cheesy and basically pure romance so sorry if it isn't exactly what you were hoping for... Sorry it uploaded a while ago but it was the wrong one and it took me a while to get it up. PLEASE REVIEW! It would mean so much to me if you guys told me what you thought, good or bad. You can also PM me if you have any ideas or criticisms. Enjoy!**

In order to do something extra special for him, Sofia decided to cook a very romantic dinner with candles and music, that would hopefully lead to a romantic night together. She went over to Linda's house to borrow a cook book and receive her wishes of luck. She made a very delicious-seeming four course meal including steak stir fry and, his favorite, mac and cheese. While it was cooking, she had just enough time to light some candles and get ready. Sofia was just putting her lipstick on when she heard Luke drive onto the property. She hurried up to check that everything was perfect and went to meet him at the door. As Luke got out of the car, he couldn't believe how beautiful Sofia looked with half of her hair pinned up and makeup on, not to mention her little red dress that hugged all of her curves perfectly. As he walked up to greet her he said, "And I didn't think you could get any sexier. How's my fiancee doing?" he leaned in to kiss her and she blushed and replied, "I missed you but I figured I could make up being in New Jersey for so long by doing something special for you tonight." "I like the sound of that. What do you have planned?" he returned. "Well I was thinking about a nice home-cooked meal; by me of course. And we can just see where the night takes us." She whispered seductively in his ear. "Maybe I should shower and change first, I feel under dressed." "Don't worry about it. I don't mind." She replied. As they sat at the table enjoying the delicious food, they talked quietly about everything and made each other laugh. They were just finishing their first glass of wine when they started talking about their future, the artwork, and the millions of dollars he had already earned. At this point, Luke was talking about fixing up the ranch when Sofia interrupted with her own ideas. "what if we moved to a state we have never really thought about before and we could build a museum for the rest of the paintings and build our own house on several hundred acres of land. That way we could both start fresh and try something new but you would get your ranch, I could work at a museum, and we would have a nice big home to live in." The words all spilled out as she spoke and she was struck by how much she realized she wanted to do this. As Luke listened to her, he heard her say the word 'home' and realized how badly she wanted a place of their own that they could call 'ours' and would totally feel like home. "Well what state are you thinking about?" He asked, thinking he already knew the answer. "I'm not sure, but I kind of feel like we should either start at a place completely new, like California? Or we should stay here in respect of Ira and Ruth's home town." She babbled. He smiled at her jumbled thoughts and had a great idea. One that would allow him to continue to live his life but one that would also give her everything she would ever need to be happy. "Well I think that we need to decide whether we want to move somewhere first or get married first because you and I can only handle so much. That being said, I think I'm going to meet with my lawyer and real estate agent to see about buying out the Black Mountain College property. We could buy some more land off of the property and build the biggest house you've ever seen as well as create the most efficient ranch ever. Then, we could reopen the college and hire the best teachers available. We would add a memorial museum to the campus where the paintings would reside and it would be open to the public. The college would be private, only accepting the best of the best and an agreement to their enrollment would be a donation of one of their finest pieces that would end up in the museum as well. We could also build a small set of cottages where people could stay if they wanted to come up and observe the work going on there. It could be a great success and we wouldn't be too far away from my mom." he frowned slightly when he looked up from the table to see her thinking deeply about what he had just said. He wondered if she thought it would be disrespectful the amazing artists that had passed through there, or maybe she really did want to live far away in a place like California. He was so relieved, however, when she looked at him with the biggest possible smile on her face and said, "I think you need to plan a meeting right away because that is the best plan ever. You're right though, we do need to decide when to get married." He nodded at this reminder but stated, "Well if the wedding isn't the most important thing to you, we could have a small ceremony here that could be planned in a couple of weeks and focus on the move." Sofia looked him dead in the eye and said, "There is nothing more important to me than marrying me and I don't know all of the details yet, but we are going to have the biggest wedding of the century. Everybody who is anybody will be there and it will never be forgotten. That being said, I can promise you I will be done planning it in the next few weeks regardless of our plans for moving. So I'm tired, but get a meeting set up with them and I hope we can do something amazing like that. I feel like our relationship is just so intense and loving that it jut inspires me to share the love by doing something great that will inspire the best out of people and will allow us to do more for people that struggle just like we did. I want to be the couple that everybody looks up to and sets goals in their lives in order to try to be more like us. I know that might sound kind of vain, but I just want to set an example, you know?" She paused, asking for his reassurance. "Of course I understand and I feel the same. I think we were lucky enough to come into some money and power and it is our responsibility to handle that money and power with all of the maturity, love, and wisdom possible." She smiled at him. "I love you so much Luke, I have no idea how I was so lucky to find such an attractive, smart, and caring guy and have him return even some of my feelings." "I love you too, Sofia, but I am the lucky one in this relationship that is for sure. Now are you gonna take that dress off or shall I?" He asked. "Patience, young Grasshopper." She teased and ran away from him as he chased her around the kitchen, attempting to tickle her. Once he caught her, he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder and she squealed for him to put her down. This was the start to the beautiful life they were lovingly creating together.


	3. Chapter 3

**I've written a ton** **lately, so I'll probably post anouther chapter every few days. Please review and enjoy! :)**

The clock read six o'clock in the morning when Sofia rolled over in bed to find an empty spot left behind in the absence of Luke. The birds were chirping quietly outside and she could faintly hear Dog barking as he chased the tractor around the fields. It was another wonderful start to another wonderful day. Last night had been one of the best conversations between the two of them and she was so excited to see what would happen. As she lay in bed, contemplating whether or not to get out of bed yet, she couldn't help but think about how lucky she was to have so much money that she could pay for the biggest wedding ever, buy hundreds of acres of land to build her dream home on, and still have enough money to last the two of them well through the next two generations of their family without working at all. Sofia stretched and yawned and turned to put her feet on the ground. She then walked into the bathroom to assess what sleep had done to her hair. Fortunately, it had decided to cooperate, so she threw it up in a ponytail and threw on a button-up shirt, jeans and boots. As she poured her fresh cup of coffee, she decided she would pay a visit to Linda.

Linda opened the door after Sofia knocked softly and kindly invited her inside. "What brings you here?" She asked with a warm smile spread across her face. "I just figured I would come and say good morning and see how you were doing." "Oh I'm fine, still trying to get used to the fact that I no longer have to worry so much about this old place. How about I get you some breakfast and we can talk about your plans." Linda dished up some scrambled eggs and a blueberry muffin for Sofia and joined her at the kitchen table. "Well I actually did want to start talking to you about the wedding, and I would love for you to help plan it as much as possible." Sofia told her as she dug into the eggs. "Great! Obviously you don't have to worry about a budget, but what are you thinking in terms of venue and the amount of people?" "I haven't put a ton of thought into it other than the fact that I want it to be big. I'm inviting almost everyone I know and, I haven't told Luke yet, but I was thinking we could have the wedding reception at the arena and bar where we met. We can get the band that was playing that night to do the music and the reception will be western themed. We will have line dancing, pork chops, beer, and boots. What do you think? Would he not want to because of his past?" Sofia wondered. "No, I think he would really like that idea. I know you know that he really is a romantic deep down and he would enjoy marrying you at the same place he met you. I'm sure it will be available, too and it shouldn't be to expensive. Plus, it's a big place so you can fit everyone you invite." "Sounds good. I'm going to get Luke's input and I think Marcia will be coming by this week to help since she will be my maid of honor. I have to go catch up with Luke before he disappears, but I will definitely talk to you again soon so we can keep planning. Thanks for the food!" She called as she got up and left the house. She had a lot to get done and very little time to do it. Sofia ran up to Luke just as he started walking past the barn. "Hey stranger." She called to him and he stopped to wait for her, smiling like a little boy in an ice cream store. "Hey sweet heart. How did you sleep?" "Good, at least until I woke up to you being gone. But forget that. We need to talk over wedding stuff and you got a meeting with your lawyer today, right?" "Yes ma'am I sure did" He said, kissing her hair and grabbing her hand. "Okay good. Can I come with you?" "He chuckled softly. " If you didn't I would probably say the wrong thing, now wouldn't I?" "Good answer. Oh and remember that we need to go to the sorority house on

Saturday to pack up all of my stuff." "Well it looks like we are going to be very busy this week. Sofia shook her head in agreement and with that, they walked into the house to get ready for the big meeting.

Two hours later, they were on the road heading towards the same auction house where they received all of the art work to meet with their lawyer and real estate agent. Sofia wore her favorite black dress that would be perfect for any art related meeting while Luke opted for a more casual jeans with a clean white button up and boots. "We don't look like we come from the same place at all." Sofia teased Luke when she saw how differently they were dressed. "Well it's not like I have to impress these people. I pay them a lot of money so it shouldn't matter what I wear." He retorted. Sofia laughed and turned the radio to a country music station. As they drove through the curving roads, Sofia and Luke both had their windows down and they were holding hands over the console in the middle of the car. She couldn't help but think that this is what she always wanted her life to be like and was overwhelmed by the extreme feeling of love for the person sitting next to her. "You know I love you so much, right? Because over and over again it just hits me that I'm sitting next to the most attractive man on earth and not only that, but I am so in love with him I can hardly stand it and he actually loves me back." She confessed to him. "Of course I know that you love me and I get the same realizations all of the time but I don't think you realize just how amazing you are to me. You bring joy to every situation and you have taught me how to really live. I would still be riding bulls and having horrible relationships with other girls, trying to fill that void you can only fill if it weren't for you. It terrifies me how easily I could have left that event right away or you could have decided not to go and we would never have met. And that terrifies me because I can honestly say that before I met you, my life didn't have any real purpose or meaning." She loved his answer and in response she kissed the back of his had lightly. "You have a wonderful way with words, Mr. Collins. If you're not careful I might just marry you!" She teased and they continued to drive out to the building that was the start of so many great things for their relationship.

"I cannot believe how well that went!" Sofia exclaimed as the walked out of the building hand in hand. The meeting with the lawyer and real estate agent had just ended and they had made an offer on the property. "I know! The deal hasn't totally gone through yet and we will have a lot to do in order to get the college up and running again, but I think it will be very successful. You could be curating your own museum by this time next year!" They couldn't be happier. While they were in the meeting, the found out that the government had taken ownership, but didn't have any plans for it and it was completely unused. Their real estate agent was fairly certain they could buy the property for half of what it was worth, meaning they would have money left over in order to rebuild and add on the the college. "Are you hungry? There is a great bar-b-q place pretty close to here." Luke inquired. "Sure. We need to talk about wedding stuff, too." They got into his truck and headed off to the restaurant. They each ordered a pulled pork sand which and got a large sweet tea to share. They sat at a small table on the patio outside so they could enjoy the warm sunshine and cool breeze. "So what did you have in mind as far as location, theme, and all of that?" Luke asked, breaking the comfortable silence. "I was actually thinking we could rent out the arena and bar that we met. It would be great size for the crowd, we could have the same band playing, and it would be a casual country themed reception. Of course, the wedding will be very formal in some kind of beautiful chapel but we can all change for the reception. Plus I will probably invite more people to the reception than to the ceremony so it will only but close friends and family at the ceremony. What do you think? Would it be too hard for you to go back to that place?" "Bull riding will always be a part of me whether I ride or not and I have to accept that, but more importantly, I don't remember that place or that night as the time I started riding again or I saw the bull that almost killed me for the first time since the accident. I remember that night and that place as the place I met the love of my life. So, yes I think it's a great idea. I would love to have it there and I'm always more comfortable in my country attire, which means I will enjoy it even more." "That makes me so happy! I can't wait to start planning which reminds me I need to talk to Marcia and your mom to find a time to meet up and plan. I want to have everything at least planned by next week and the rest need to be booked by next Wednesday." "Well if anyone can do all of that, it's you."


	4. Chapter 4

**Hope you guys are liking the story!**

A few days later, Sophia was sitting in the living room at Luke's house with Marcia while Luke was in the kitchen working on designs for their house. Unfortunately, Linda wasn't able to make it, but she would catch her up soon. "Okay. So we need to call the owner of the arena to find out availability and cost and find a chapel to hold this thing in. We can do the invite list later and I also need to see about a caterer. Babe, what are thinking in terms of food for the wedding?" "Just find a BBQ place that can cook enough for all the people you plan to invite." "That' a huge help, thank you." Sofia rolled her eyes, making Marcia laugh. "Well I will call the BBQ restaurants in the area and I will call the owner of the arena. You can look at chapels and start on the invite list." "Okay, but make sure you don't tell the owner we are rich because I don't want him jacking up the price for no reason." Sofia pulled out her laptop to look for places while Marcia went to the front porch to talk to the owner. "I sure am glad you know what you are doing because we would be in trouble if I were in charge." Luke said. "Well I'm sure glad you know how to design a house or else we would be in trouble." She retorted.

They could already tell how much they both balanced each other out and Sophia couldn't love that any more."Okay, so they are available basically all the time and they charge 150 dollars an hour for full rental of the whole property. I also found a family owned restaurant that is willing to cater for up to 800 people, They said they would set up a temporary kitchen there and cook everything on the spot. We would give a ticket to everyone and they would receive a sandwich with a side and a beer or other beverage. 15 dollars per person." Marcia recited as she came through the door. "That is really great news. I found a cute chapel 15 minutes away from the arena and it seats 450 people for 200 dollars an hour. Hey Luke, how does all of this sound?" "Whatever you want." "Okay, it's going to be four thousand people and you're going to have to pay three million dollars." Sophia sarcastically replied. "Got it. Sounds good." Marcia turned to Sophia and whispered, "I'll take him if you don't want him." laughing, she walked into the kitchen and sat on Luke's lap. "Well you have to help make some decisions but I'm glad you are letting me decide most of it. Anyways, what about booking everything for May 27th? The chapel is available then and that's a little over a month away. So I'll keep working on the invite list and you can tell me any people you think of, Marcia. Thank you so much for coming. I'll see you on Saturday at the sorority!" "Sounds like a plan. I'll see you then. Bye guys." Marcia let herself out, leaving Sophia sitting on Luke's lap and watching him calculate a bunch of different numbers she didn't understand. Finally, he looked up at her and said, "The most I will let you spend total on this wedding is 35,000 dollars and our total budget for Black Mountain is 2.5 million. I'm also investing and saving a few million and we both are going to continue to work. I know we have a lot of money now, but that might not last forever and I need to know we will be okay no matter what going into all of this. I also think we should get some legal papers drawn up before everything because if something happens between us, there is a lot of money involved and I want to be positive that we will both be taken care of and treated fairly. So, these are my conditions and I need you to be okay with all of them. Sophia smiled down and kissed him lightly on the forehead. "Of course it is. You know, when I fell in love with you, I thought we would struggle our whole lives and now that we have all of this, I agree, it could all go away so I am totally okay with all of it." "Great. Then have fun planning the wedding." Luke replied, knowing that nothing would ever tear them apart.

Two weeks later, Sophia had bought her dream wedding dress and all the bridesmaids dresses as well as inviting everyone and picking flowers. The color scheme for the ceremony was aqua marine and peach. The bridesmaids would alternate in color and they would all wear brown cowboy boots. Sophia's dress was floor length silky white that draped effortlessly over her body while showing her curves. The sleeves were lace, so the solid dress itself appeared to be strapless and it had a train that was 12 feet long. She had never acted so girly in a store, and maybe she had had too much wine, but she and Marcia couldn't get over how perfect it was. For the reception, Sophia had bought another white dress, but it was made out of cotton and came down to her mid thighs. The dress had spaghetti straps but it was very comfortable. The bridesmaids wouldn't be changing and Luke would be able to wear jeans with a button up and boots. The attendees would dress elegantly for the ceremony, but the reception attire was strictly jeans, shorts, or dresses with cowboy boots and hats. Her whole family was flying in first class and it looked like about 400 people would be at the ceremony and about 550 people would be at the reception. She had also been receiving phone calls from newspapers and blogs about the event and had even seen some articles already written about it. The two of them had made it very clear that the ceremony would be extremely private, but the reception would include some media through invite only. Luke had made sure to hire special security for the day so they wouldn't have to worry about it. They had also invited many artists, museum curators, and celebrities. With the day quickly approaching, Sophia was impressed with all she had accomplished and decided they should go out for a nice dinner after they finished cleaning out her room at the sorority. They had spent all day taking apart furniture, packing up clothes, and saying goodbye to all of her 'sisters'. It had been a long time, but they were showered and on the road, heading towards the sushi restaurant were he took her on their first dinner date. As they drove through the town, they talked quietly about how far they had come in their relationship and Sophia made it clear to him, once again, how much he truly meant to her and what she would do in order to keep him in her life.


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's a short one... Kind of different take on Sophia.**

Laughing loudly, Sophia stumbled into the door with Luke following closely, making sure she didn't fall. "Okay we need to get you into bed. I think it's a good thing that was your last sorority party." Luke said as he grabbed Sophia's arm to help her gain her balance. "Haha. I had fun with you tonight." She said, tapping him lightly on the nose and trying to kiss him. "Alright. Into bed. You need to sleep this off and you won't feel too great in the morning." "Are you going to come to? I don't wanna sleep alone!" "Of course I'll come, let me just get you some medicine and water. You get into bed and I'll be right back." He had never seen her drunk like this before, but he knew she needed to have fun and she enjoyed her last sorority party with Marcia. He had hung out with some of the other guys and she had gone off with the other girls, apparently getting drunk. He couldn't find her until he walked into a room to see her standing on top of a table, chugging a drink while the other girls stood around and shouted her on. It was a good thing she could let lose and have fun, but he didn't really know how to handle her like this. He shrugged and, grabbing the medicine and water, he headed back to their room. "Okay you need to take this and drink plenty of water and don't forget where the bathroom is, okay?" "Okay. I'm tired." "Okay sleep well." He leaned over to kiss her and turned the lights out, hoping she would sleep it off.

She woke up to the birds chirping, but instead of a peaceful feeling, her head felt like it would explode. "Babe, are you here? What happened last night?" Sophia called out, hopping Luke was home. "You had more fun than usual at the sorority party yesterday. I'll just put it that way." He called out, walking into the room and sitting on the edge of the bed. "We don't have any plans today so you can just kind of sleep it off. How are you feeling?" "Like crap. But I'm sure I'll live. How drunk did I actually get?" Luke seemed to pause for a minute and think about how he would word it. "Well you really enjoyed being with your friends and I think you had a lot of whiskey but you ran off with the girls and when I found you. You were standing on a table chugging something with all the other girls cheering you on. Then you started dancing and laughing and I decided it was time to come home after you and Marcia started yelling about something I didn't understand." "Wow I haven't acted like that at a party in a really long time. Was I embarrassing? Because I just couldn't live with myself if I dragged you into that and made a fool of myself." "Of course you didn't. It was my idea to go, remember? And besides, it was nice to see you so laid back and enjoy yourself so much." He leaned down to kiss her on the lips, thinking it would only be a quick peck, but she deepened it and pulled him in. He pulled back for a second to suggest that she just relax but she made it clear she wanted him to stay so he climbed into bed next to her and they cuddled until they both fell asleep in each others arms.


	6. Chapter 6

**Since it's been a little longer and the last one was pretty short, here is an eventful one. Remember, the more you review, the more I'll want to write! :)**

"Today is the big day!" Marcia yelled as she jumped on Sophia's sleeping body. They had decided that Luke would sleep at Linda's house so Sophia could have all of her friends over to his house and she could get ready without him seeing her. "Five more minutes! I haven't gotten all the beauty sleep I need." Sophia replied, putting a pillow over her face. "Okay, but the girls will be here in about an hour and we need to eat and shower before they get here." "Fine I'll get up. But I need coffee right away. I can't believe how tired I am." "Well, you didn't want to say goodbye to Luke so you didn't come over here until after midnight and you stayed up who knows how long after that." "Well whatever the reason, I'm still tired. How's that coffee coming?" Marcia handed Sofia a large mug of steaming coffee and she drank it in slow sips. She really had enjoyed having another sleepover with her best friend. They felt like little girls again, staying up late and sleeping in 'the big bed'. But she really did miss Luke. "So eat, shower, the girls will come, and the stylists will be here soon too. The girls will get their hair and makeup done out here in the kitchen while you and I get ours done in here. Then, you will put your dress on and we will take pictures with just the girls. After all of that, we will go to the chapel. Oh, I almost forgot your mom and sisters are driving over now so they will get here before everyone else. Are you ready for all of the chaos?" Sophia wasn't exactly sure how to answer the question, but she nodded while she took another sip of coffee and began to eat her eggs and toast. When she was finished eating, she got into the shower and took those few moments she was alone to prepare herself for the day. 'You're getting married to Luke today!' She told herself. She was finally letting it set in and it was the most exciting thing to ever happen to her. As she stepped out of the shower, she could her a car driving up and the excited greetings shared between her family and Marcia. She hurried up and put on a tank top with jean shorts and ran out to greet them. This would surely be a very long, emotional day for everyone.

Over at Linda's house, Luke didn't have as much to do to get ready, so he had his friends over to hang out before he put his tux on. His mom would be going over there soon to take picture and help Sophia. He wished so badly that he could go see her. Last night was the first night he had spent without her in over a year and he couldn't believe how much he missed her and how little he was able to sleep. The only thing that kept him from running over there is the fact that Sophia would kill him if he saw her, but he decided it wouldn't hurt if he called her. When he heard her sweet voice over the phone, a huge smile immediately flashed over his face. "Well good morning, gorgeous. How are you doing?" "Well I miss you a ton but I am super busy over here so I don't have much time to think about it. How did you sleep last night?" "Not to well. I'm so used to sleeping with you I just couldn't fall asleep. I can't wait to see you and I know you will be the most beautiful bride to ever walk this earth because you are the most beautiful woman to do the same." "Thanks, babe. You always know exactly what to say. Well I really need to go, but I love you so much and I can not wait to see you." "Okay love you too, bye." He hung up the phone and walked into the kitchen where all of his friends were eating the breakfast his mom had prepared. "Okay guys, we need to get ready for this thing."

"Alright everyone! We need to walk over to the other side of the house so we can take pictures underneath the weeping willow. We need pictures of the bride with each mom, the sisters, bridesmaids, etcetera." the photographer called out to all of the chatty girls. They had all put their dresses on, gotten their hair and makeup done, and gotten mani pedis a few days before. They all headed out into the perfect, warm spring day and took some of the cutest pictures the photographer had every seen. The girls were all so photogenic and cooperated, included some great candid shots. After pictures were taken, they all piled into the limos waiting for them and headed off to the chapel, shortly followed by all of the guys. The next step in the journey was to get Sophia down the isle.

Before she knew it, Sophia was standing outside the double doors that lead to her future husband. She stood nervously next to her dad as the wedding party made their way down the isle. Next, it was her turn and as they opened the doors, she heard the music start and everyone stand. At that moment, she laid eyes on Luke and the rest of the world disappeared. She could see on his face just how beautiful she was and she herself couldn't believe how handsome he was. She slowly walked down the isle and then her dad handed her off to Luke after kissing her on the cheek. She smiled at her family and the bride and groom walked up the steps to the minister that would be marrying them. They said their vows and exchanged rings and the moment they all had been waiting for arrived. Luke grabbed her and dipped her down, kissing her passionately and not caring who could see. She heard the applause of all of the guests and the snapping of the cameras belonging to the hired photographers and the reporters that had been allowed inside. After the ceremony, Luke an Sophia climbed into their private limo and changed into the clothes for the reception. "I can not believe how beautiful you are. It just takes my breath away." Luke said as he kissed Sofia. "Not yet" She replied. "We have to get through the reception and then you can kiss me all you want. With a sigh, Luke continued changing his clothes and they drove off to the reception, the biggest event of the year.

Sophia stepped out of the limo to see the most spectacular sight of her life. When she was planning this reception, she wanted to add a little bit of a state fair feel to it to go along with the rodeo aspect. Because of this idea, they had brought in a huge 5 story ferris wheel and popcorn and cotton candy machines. They had to walk over to the barn where the whole crowd was waiting so they could be introduced as the bride and groom and start all of the typical wedding events. Then they would go on the ferris wheel and dance and mingle. As they walked into the room and heard the DJ announce their joined names, both of them were overcome with joy and they jogged into the room fist pumping and cheering along with everyone else. Next came their first dance. As Luke stepped onto the dance floor and put his hand around her waist, he was once again shocked that he was so lucky to get a girl as beautiful and smart as she was. They danced around the room as reporters and photographers and friends took pictures. After the dance, they went right ahead and cut the cake and began eating the delicious home made bar-b-q and continued to dance with all of their family and friends. As the night wore on, they posed for pictures and talked to everyone, but it was a little overwhelming for Luke. He politely excused himself from the conversation and went outside to lean against the fence and look out over the hundreds of people that had come for this occasion. He didn't even know they knew all these people. "You know, I don't think it would be normal for me to tell you how sexy you look in those jeans when we first met, but I know I can tell you now." Luke turned around to see his wife walking over to him. "Hello wife." "Hello, Husband. You doing okay?" As she reached him, he put his arm around her waist and pulled her close. "Of course I am. Anyone married to you could never not be okay." She laughed softly. "Seriously though, what's bothering you? I know you well enough to know that something is making you feel overwhelmed." He looked at her and said, "Nothing really, I just needed to take a break from all of the people. But I am having fun and I don't think anyone will forget this night. You really did an amazing job planning this, Hon." "Thanks. I'm going to go with your answer for now, but when you figure out what's going on, you'll tell me right?" At his nod, she grabbed his hand and started jogging down the hill that lead to all of the festivities. "Come on! Let's ride the ferris wheel and you can kiss me at the top!" He sure liked that idea, so he jogged with her and they jumped in the blue cart. When they reached the top, the ride stopped and they looked out to see the sunset with brilliant oranges and pinks, and Luke kissed Sofia softly, but she deepened the kiss. This would surely be their most memorable night ever.

The party had been crazy and eventful, but successful. Sophia had invited most of her sorority sisters and Luke had many of his old bull riding friends as well as many people from each of their families. The food was amazing and the music was exactly like the night that they met. When the sun had set, the crowd started getting smaller and eventually they decided to leave. For their honeymoon, they would head to the beaches in California. They boarded the plane in first class and began their journey across the country to the golden beaches of California. When they landed, they rented a car and headed to their five star hotel overlooking the water. "I am so tired. Can we take a nap before we eat?" Sofia wondered. "Of course. But I need to shower first. Want to join?" Luke replied, winking at her. After they got out of the shower, they plopped on the luxuriously cozy bed in their fluffy robes and fell into a deep slumber. The both leisurely awoke to the sound of people playing beach volley ball on the sand bellow. As they stretched and yawned, Luke commented, "Man I could live like this more often. I'm loving being pampered and I've only been here long enough to sleep!" "You know, we could buy a villa here and use it for vacations once a month or so." Luke had to think about it for a second. He clearly had enough money to do so, but would he always have enough to travel here? And how often would they use it?" As if reading his mind, Sofia said, "We could come out here all the time and go on road trips once a year and do like a traveling art exhibition all summer and use students from the college as interns or just for romantic getaways for a weekend. Either that or we could get a beach house in Florida." "Well the only thing is how expensive plane tickets are and like I've said before, we don't know if we will always have that money." "Well we can think about it but I think it would be nice to have a warm sunny place to go to for the weekends to just getaway. You know?" "Well why don't we look in Florida because then we could take road trips which would be more fun and we could go to Disney World more often." "You sure know how to read my mind!" She responded, kissing him and looking at the clock. "We better get going if we want to make it to dinner before the sun sets." "Well then after you, Mrs. Collins. Table for two please."

They went to a cute sushi restaurant located on the beach. They sat outside on the patio and watch the sun set as they drank wine and ate the same sushi they ordered on their first date. "I really miss Ira." Sophia said, breaking the silence. "I do to. I would have really loved for him to see everything we are doing and what happened with us. I know most people were only interested in the art and the business side of him but we got to know him personally and I'm so glad we did." Sophia nodded in agreement. "I love you so much. I'm so glad you quit riding. I don't know what I would have done if-" She trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. Luke wrapped her hand between both of his and said, "Hey at least I did and you won't have to worry about it anymore. I promise. I don't regret quitting or miss it even a little bit. You are so much more important to me." He kissed her hand and she smiled in return. "Well I am so glad to hear that. Sometimes, even though I know it was the right thing for you to do, I feel bad for stopping you. But I'm glad you picked me." Just then, the server brought out their food and they were silenced, taking in all of the delicious flavors of the meal and relishing in each others' company. "So, what do you see our life looking like for, say, the next ten years." Sofia inquired. Looking up and whipping his face, Luke replied, "Well I want to have the property ready by the end of next year. I want to become a very well respected farmer in the area, partnering with my mom, of course. I want you to be able to do anything with art you could ever dream of doing. I want to travel the world with you, going on adventures and collect art. And I also want us to think about starting a family." He looked up from his food to see her smiling at him. "I'm glad you brought that up. I had the very same idea. I know some people say we should talk about this kind of stuff before we get married, but I really want a big family and I think we should just enjoy each other for a few years but I really wants kids. Obviously we have the money and will have the space and I want what my sisters and I have had." "Well I'm really glad to hear that. I think the more the merrier and the earlier the better. If you want to wait five years we can if you wanted to start now, we can. You just say the word. I'm totally on board." "I love you so much. How lucky am I to have a guy that would let me decide and would be so supportive? I really couldn't have found a better person to spend the rest of my life with."

After dinner, they casually strolled down the beach as the sun continued to set. Then, Luke surprised Sofia with a fire on the beach with wine and s'mores and they enjoyed each others' company into the late hours of the night. "So tomorrow, lets do all of the typical tourist stuff and then I have a road trip planned for us the next day." Luke said as they were walking back to their hotel. "Sounds good. How long are we staying here?" "Well I haven't bought the tickets back yet because I wasn't sure when we would be leaving but I was thinking maybe a week to ten days." "I think that's fair. I'm tired and it sounds like we need to get up early tomorrow so let's go ahead and go to sleep, okay?" "Okie dokie." He replied, taking her hand and swinging it through the air. This had definitely been the best day of their lives.


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm going on a trip so it's going to be a few days before I can post again... Enjoy!**

A few months later, they were driving up to Black Mountain College to see the progress being made on their new house and college. When they had gotten back from their honeymoon, they were able to immediately sign off on the plans and start construction. Sophia had created here dream home and Luke created his dream barn. They were going to do a walk-through for the college and the almost finished barn. The house wouldn't be done for another couple of weeks. "I am so excited to see it! I cannot believe that I am about to see the college and museum I am about to be in charge of!" Sophia exclaimed. Luke looked at her from the corner of his eye and squeezed her hand. "I know. And can you believe I get to be the owner of 800 acres of land with a barn big enough for a whole family to live in?""Well, I think that you deserve it." Sophia said to him. Just then, they pulled into the grand entrance of the property and drove up to the college and met the contractor that was in charge of it all. "How are you guys doing? I'm glad you could make it today." The contractor said, shaking both of their hands. "We're doing fine, just can't wait to see the property." Luke answered for the two of them. "Well I'm happy to say that we have gotten a lot done and I can even show you most of the house today. You guys should be able to have everything running and moved in in the next few weeks.""Wow!That's more than we could have hoped for." Luke replied. "Then lets get this tour started!"

After the tour was done, Luke had to sign some papers and make some payments, so Sophia went for a walk on the property. She was sitting underneath a weeping willow tree that overlooked the lake where Ira gave Ruth her first paintings. She heard some leaves crunching and turned around to see Luke approaching with a key and flowers in his hand. Standing up to greet him with a kiss, Sophia asked, "What does the key go to?" "You'll just have to find out. Close your eyes and let me guide you. No peeking!" He walked her up the hill and up to the building that was the new museum. He put the key in her hand and told her to open her eyes. When Sophia realized what the key was for, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him excitedly. "I didn't know it was done yet!" "Well you get to decorate it and decide where all of the pieces will go, but we get to be the first of many to walk through these doors. So, Shall we?" Luke asked, holding out his hand. "We shall" She replied, taking his hand and turning the key. The museum was everything she could have imagined. It smelled of new paint and had the most beautiful floors she had ever seen. It was airy and roomy and it also had many sky lights that provided the perfect lighting for any piece all through out the building. She never wanted to leave, and Luke could see how happy she was. "I'm so happy that I am able to do such incredible things like this and make you so happy." He said. "Well you make me so happy even if you were living in a box, but I'm glad you get the chance to spoil me, too." She replied, smiling widely.

About three months later, they were packing boxes and ordering furniture to prepare for the move that would take place in the next week. "I'm meeting with the decorator today to do some of the finishing touches and you still need to go buy some cattle. When were you thinking of doing that?" Sophia asked Luke as she carried another box into the living room. "I was going to go to the auction house in the next couple of days but I'll probably take some friends and go down today since you'll be at the new property." "Okay sounds good. Are you still up for meeting Marcia and her new boyfriend for dinner tonight? Or do you want me to go and you can meet him another time." Sophia asked. "As of right now, I want to go, but if things get crazy at the auction house, I won't have time. I'll just give you a call about an hour or so before to let you know how things are going. Is it a nice restaurant?" "Yes, I made reservations for Miguel's Italian restaurant weeks ago. It's a five star place and the food is supposed to be amazing." She replied. "Okay well I really do want to come but I'll let you know. When will the property be ready for use? I need to figure out where I'm going to keep the cattle and for how long before I try to buy any." Luke wondered. "We should have full access the day we move, but I will call the contractor on the way to the property to double check. By the way, my car is making a really weird noise and I think it's due for an oil change. Do you mind taking a look at it when I get back?" "Is it safe to drive?" "I think so. It should be fine until I get back here." "Well, just to be safe, take my truck and I'll just have one of my friends give me a ride. I'll take a look at it tonight after dinner. It might be time to just get you a new car. Especially if you want to start having kids, we'll need to buy a bigger car for that." It was weird to her how casually he could talk about having kids, but he was right, she wanted to start really soon and they would need an appropriate car. "Why don't we talk about all of that when we are moved in. But right now I really need to get going if I want to take it there before noon. Thanks for letting me borrow your truck." "It's not mine, it's ours." She smiled and walked over to kiss him good bye. She grabbed the keys and climbed into the huge truck. It was so odd driving something so big, but it made her feel so powerful. As Luke stood on the front porch waving good bye, he couldn't help but think about how sexy his wife looked driving his truck.

Sophia pulled into the long gravel driveway around two o'clock that afternoon. "Hey Bonnie!" She said as she got out of the car and walked towards the museum. "Hey Sophia! I was just talking to the manufacturer and it looks like all of the products you ordered will be delivered here in the next couple of weeks but everything for the museum has been delivered and put inside. We just need to go through them and make sure you are okay with it. And then we can finish with the design plans and I'll lay it all out. We should have everything ready by tomorrow evening so you can have the art delivered very soon." "Sounds good. Did anything come over budget? Because Luke won't be happy if we did. I need extra money to do some finishing touches on the house, so I need all of this the be under budget." "Would Luke really be that upset with you? Does he have all of the say with the money?" Bonnie wondered. "Well, no. He doesn't get mad, we have just agreed that he handles the money and when we have as much as we do we really have to watch our spending. Most of the time, he budgets what I can spend and I get to decide what to spend it on." Sophia replied. "Well I really think that you two are being very smart about all of your money. I have so enjoyed getting to know you guys!" "We have really enjoyed your business. This place is going to look so good I can't wait! I really want to get everything done so I can surprise Luke the next time he comes up. I also need to leave here before four." "Well then let's get to it! We've got a lot of things to do."

Three hours later, they were wrapping up at the museum and it was almost finished. "This place looks great! It's like every great art museum put together. You really have out done yourself." Sophia exclaimed. " It's been such a fun project. I'll be sure to come visit once it's up and running and let me know if you need any help putting the artwork together." "Will do. Thank you gain. Can you lock up? I really need to get going." Sophia asked. "No problem. Have a great dinner. See you next week." Bonnie replied. Sophia got in the truck and dialed Luke's number. "Hey Babe, what's up?" she heard Luke's voice over the phone. "Hey Sweetie. I'm just leaving the property. How's it looking at the auction house?" "Well I've bought a lot of cattle for way less than they're worth and I'm working on a couple of horses. I should be able to make dinner but do you think you could come pick me up at the auction so I can get home faster? I would really like your opinion on some of these animals." "Sure. As long as I get to shower with you." "Wow. You are very forward, my dear." Luke said, surprised by what his wife had just said. "There is no other way to be, my dear." she replied, laughing. "I'll be there in about twenty minutes. But we really do need to get home and ready soon if we are going to make it to dinner in time." She reminded him. "Okay I'll meet you at the horse auction tent. Text me when you're pulling in. Love you." "Love you too!." She hung up and dialed Marcia's number. "Hey Soph, how ya doin'?" Marcia answered. "Hey, Marcia. I'm on my way to pick Luke up and we just need to shower and we should be there in time." "Um, Sophia, I don't really want to hear about your sex life." "Oh my gosh! Marcia!" Sophia shouted. Giggling, Marcia replied, " I'm just pulling your leg. But really, We should be there on time as well. I'm excited for you to meet Mitchel!" "We can't wait to meet him either! I'm hoping he and Luke will really hit it off. He needs some good guy friends." "I think they will. They are both the same type. They should have a lot in common." "So, are you guys serious? Tell me now so I know how to act tonight." "I think we are getting there. He has his own apartment and I usually stay there most of the weekends. I hope it's going somewhere, but we haven't really had a chance to talk about it." She replied. "Marcia! Look at you falling in love! I'm so happy for you!" "I know! I mean, we haven't told each other we love each other yet, but I think we are going to soon." Ugh. I know you've been in more relationships than I have, but that is just the best feeling. Well I can't wait to hear more, but I'm driving Luke's truck and it's very hard to park. So I'll see you tonight." "You ride 'em cowgirl! Haha. See you tonight." Sophia hung up the phone and parked the truck. She texted Luke that she was there and met him and his friends. "Hey Hon, the horses are over here in this tent." Luke said, greeting Sophia with a quick kiss. "You know I like our kisses better when we're in private." She said. "Seriously, what on earth has gotten into you? I've never heard you talk like this before." "I don't know. I think it's because I was on the phone with Marcia earlier and she was talking the way she does. I guess it's just kind of rubbed off on me. Sorry." She replied, a little embarrassed. "You don't need to be embarrassed, Sweety, it just caught me off guard. Now, why don't we look at these horses because we really need to get going if we are going to make it to dinner in time." "Right. Let's go buy some horses." They walked over hand in hand and greeted some of Luke's old bull riding friends. They ended up buying five horses. A paint, a pinto, a quarter horse, a palomino, and a retired racing thorough bred. They were all perfect horses for the ranch and they got them for a deal. He could keep them at his mom's ranch until they had moved. He would need to buy more horses later on, but this was a good start. "Okay, Luke, we really need to get going or we are never going to make it on time." Sophia called, grabbing Luke's hand and trying to walk towards the truck. He was so into a conversation with an old friend, he didn't even hear her. "Luke!" She said louder. "It. Is. Time. To. Go" She said sternly. "Whoa Babe it's okay. I'm coming." "We need to leave!" "Just give me a second! I want to finish this conversation and I don't want to be interrupted again!" "Fine!" She stormed of to the truck and got into the passenger seat. She put the keys in the ignition, turned the radio volume all the way up, and put her feet up on the dashboard. Sophia wasn't sure why she was so upset, but she did know she didn't like the fact that Luke wouldn't pay attention to her when she needed it. After several more minutes, Luke finally got into the truck and started driving away. "You know, if you could be a little bit more patient, you wouldn't have to embarrass us like that," Luke said, clearly annoyed. Sophia scoffed and turned to look at him. "Embarrass us?! We needed to leave like, might I remind you, you had told me earlier but as soon as you get to talking with some hot shot bull rider, the world can wait and I become an embarrassment!" She was shouting now. "You know what, I have put up with standing around for forever while you talk to your little girlfriends, but when I want to talk to someone I haven't since I gave up bull riding for you, you immediately throw a fit!" "Oh, you are just unbelievable! You did not give up riding for me! You gave it up because you could die and I couldn't live with that. And just because you quit does not mean you can't still talk to those people. AND I never made you come to any of those parties. You always used beg to come." "I just wanted to talk to someone for another ten minutes. But you just have to be on time to meet your friend and her precious boyfriend at your little restaurant." "You know what, don't come tonight. In fact, you can stay in _your_ home tonight and I will see you when you're done talking to all pf your little friends." Thankfully for her, they had just pulled into the driveway and she could jump out of the car and slam the door. As she was storming into the house to grab her stuff, she heard Luke walk up after her yelling, "Fine! Go out with your friends and run away from this but you have to come back eventually and when you do, I will be here, waiting for you to apologize to me!" She grabbed her clothes as quickly as possible and ran back out of the house. " Don't you get it?! You ignored me and then made me look like an idiot because you needed to look manly in front of your friends. And proceeded to call me impatient and an embarrassment and blame this whole thing on me. You may be waiting here for me, but how do you know that I will be coming back at all?" She returned, unlocking her car and getting in. "You can't even take your car, it's broken!" "So is your wife's heart!" She turned on the car and sped out of the ranch, leaving her husband in the dust.

 **Should I keep writing? Let me know what you think so far!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry I was away from my laptop and Wi-Fi longer than I expected! Thank you for the reviews!**

As she drove away, she dialed Marcia's number again. "Hey Girly ready to party?" As she sniffled, she replied, "Kind of." Growing serious, Marcia said, "Sophia, what happened?" "Luke and I got in a huge fight and I stormed out and told him, he broke my heart and that I probably wasn't coming back. What have I done?I should just go back and apologize." "No no no you two need a break to process what happened and you need to get it off your mind. How bout we cancel our reservation and go to a bar Luke wouldn't think to go to. Come on it'll be fun. You need this." "Okay. Fine. But I am wearing old clothes and I'm sweaty so I need to find a place to shower and get ready before I go anywhere." "Okay. Come over to Mitchel's apartment and you can get ready while we talk about it. Maybe you could use a night of drinking and a little flirting." "Whoa, Marcia, I'm in a fight with my husband I don't think I'm really looking to get back out there." "I'm not saying you need to have a one night stand. Just let loose and enjoy another man showing you how attractive and amazing you are. Which is certainly something your husband is not doing." "Okay. I will come over and get ready and we'll see what happens but I am not okay with trying to get another guy's attention." "Alright. You have the address right?" Sophia agreed. "Great see you soon." "bye." Sophia ended the call and continued to drive out to Mitchel's apartment.

Marcia opened the door a few seconds after she heard a knock to see her best friend swollen-eyed and crying. She immediately hugged her and said, "Oh Sophia. It's going to be okay. Come on in. You just need a nice hot shower and we will talk it out. You're gonna be fine." Sniffling, she replied, "Okay. Where's Mitchel?" "He's still at work. He should be home in about 45 minutes. Go ahead and get into the shower I'm gonna make some tea." Sophia nodded and walked to the bathroom. By the time Marcia came into the bathroom with the tea, Sophia was already in the shower. "So. Just sum up for me what happened so I know how mad to be at Luke." "Well it's really stupid which is why I think I should just go back home and take the blame and move on. But we were at a cattle auction so Luke could get some cattle and horses for the new property. He wanted me to come so I could give him a ride home and help him pick out the horses. We needed to leave and he was talking to one of his old riding buddies. I walked over and told him we needed to go. He either didn't hear me or was ignoring me but I said it louder and I turned to me and told me not to interrupt him again so I went to the truck and waited for him. When he got in, he told me I needed to be more patient so I wouldn't embarrass us. Then, he told me I could have waited for him this one time because he is always waiting for me when I'm talking to my friends. So I told him that I've never made him go to a single party. Oh and he brought up the fact that he gave up riding just for me and I said he only did it because he didn't want to die. And at that point, we were home so I ran inside and grabbed all the stuff I could carry and got into my car, telling him he may not see me again. It really started over nothing but he was so disrespectful and he has never yelled at me like that before. I just didn't know what to do." At this point she was crying again and she turned off the water. "Well I think you did the right thing by just leaving so you guys could process how you were feeling before you said anything else you would regret. He also was way to disrespectful and should never talk to you like that. But I'm sure you said some stuff you shouldn't have and you will need to apologize but you need to have some fun." "You're right. But maybe I should just fly up to my parent's house for a week or so. Oh but we are moving this week and I have to meet the decorator tomorrow." "When do you move?" "Well the movers come on Wednesday." "So why don't you just leave tonight and come back on Monday. Just reschedule with the decorator. You only maybe have to see Luke on Wednesday and you can stay here until you figure out what to do." "Okay. I'm going to got to New Jersey and I'll come back on Monday. I'm just going to have to figure out what I'm going to do after that. I mean, we're married not dating. We can't just split up. Besides, this was a fight and I'm upset but it doesn't mean it's the end of everything." "I'm going to call Mitchel and let him know it's just going to be us and you can use my laptop to find a plane ticket." Marcia replied. Sophia felt relieved she was going to see her family and get away for a little while.


	9. Chapter 9

"See you on Monday! Have a great trip and feel better." Marcia called to Sophia as she walked into the airport. She had already called her parents to let them know she was coming. She was so looking forward to spending time at home and clearing her head.

"Sophia! Welcome home!" Her family cried as she walked into the diner. "Hi guys. How are you doing?" "Well, better than you I suppose." her dad said, earning a warning glance from her mom. "How are you doing honey? Do you want something to eat?" "Some dumplings would be great. Thanks Mom. I'm going to go put my stuff in my room. Are my lovely sisters upstairs?" Her mom nodded and walked towards the kitchen to start making the food. When she got upstairs, she put her stuff in her room and greeted her sisters. She was in the middle of explaining to them what had happened when her phone started ringing. "It's Luke. Maybe I should just let it go to voice mail." "No answer it and see what he wants." Her older sister said. She hesitantly hit answer and said hello. "Baby! Come home. Come just cooooome home please. I want you I need you I misssss you." "Luke, have you been drinking?" she asked accusingly. "Just a little bit. But only enough to know you should be here. With me. At home. Come on just come back and you know come home." "Luke. I'm at my parents' in New Jersey and I will let you know when I am ready to see you again. You need to sober up. Got it?" "Wow. Could you have anymore attitude when you talk to me." "Grow up." At that she hung up and hoped he wouldn't call her again. He did some really dumb things when he was drunk and she knew this wouldn't end well.

* * *

Three days later, she was in Marcia's car on the way to the property. "So how are you doing? Do you know what you're going to do." "Well the trip was really helpful but he called me drunk a couple of times but I think I'm going to go to the house later today and just talk it out with him. I just can't keep running from this." "That sounds like a good idea. Do you want me to take you there now? Or would you want to go later?" "Actually, I think I should go now. Better to get it over with. Do you mind?" "Of course not, Sophia. That's what I'm here for." When they pulled into the driveway, Sophia took some deep breathes and walked into the house to see her husband sitting in the kitchen finishing his lunch. "Hi." She said quietly as she put her suitcase down. Luke jumped out of the chair and walked over. "You're back. I missed you." " I missed you, too. But we need to talk about this. Now I know we both have things we need to apologize about but I want to make it very clear that the next time you talk to me in that disrespectful way or call me drunk after a fight. I will walk through that door and you will never see me again. And you still need to work through why you quit because it is not my fault and you need to figure out why you are blaming me for it." "You're right. You're so right. I love you so much. I'm sorry. I think I was just missing the old days and I didn't want him to think you were bossing me around. I'm so sorry. Can you forgive me?" Luke pleaded with her. "Of course I forgive you. Can we just move on from this and get back to moving?" "Yes yes than you!" He took her into his arms and kissed her passionately. "I love you so much." Sophia said as she pulled away.


	10. Chapter 10

"I can't do this anymore! You are so hopeless! I'm leaving for good this time! You know, you were right when you first called yourself a washed-up old bull rider because that is exactly what you are and all you are! You have no respect, no forgiveness, and you are certainly not caring! I can not _believe_ I ever gave you a second of my time never mind married you. You will be hearing from my attorney, you jerk!" Sophia screamed as she slammed the door to their bedroom and stormed away from Luke. "Wait! Sophia! I'm sorry I know I was wrong to speak to you like that! I know I've been trying to relive some of my bull riding days lately but there's more to me than just the bull riding side and you know that. I know you still love me. Please don't go. We can work this out. It's going to be okay." Luke pleaded. "No! I'm done! It's not going to be okay because I'm not coming back. I'll send someone to pack my things so I won't have to see you again. Good bye Luke." "No! Please don't leave me! I Love you Sophia! I love you!"

"Luke! Luke! Are you okay?" Luke opened his eyes to see his worried wife laying next to him. Confused, he asked, "Why are you here? I thought you left?" "What? No, I've been here all night. You just started screaming 'I love you please don't leave me!' Were you having a bad dream?" "That's what it was! I'm so glad you're here." Luke said, sounding relieved. "Well what happened? Why were you so upset?" "I'm not really sure what was happening during the dream but you were screaming at me that I was nothing but a washed-up bull rider and that you were done and you were never coming back. And I kept begging you to stay but you wouldn't and you wanted to divorce me and..." His voice wavered. He didn't want to have to relive it anymore. "Oh Luke it's okay. I'm not going to leave you and you are so so much more than a washed-up bull rider." She reassured him between the kisses she was lightly planting all down his jaw line and neck. He couldn't stand it anymore and rolled on top of her, kissing her passionately. He was so glad she wasn't leaving and that he could kiss her anytime he wanted to because she really did love him. All of him.

The next morning, Sophia staggered out to the kitchen where Luke was eating breakfast. "Where's the coffee? I barely slept last night." She said with a slight smile. "Well I don't know how you would have, babe. I'm just so irresistible." He said teasingly as he poured her a steaming cup of coffee. "What are you doing up this early? You aren't usually up until 9:30. You do know it's 6:30, right?" He questioned. "Yes, sadly I am up at this time on purpose. I have a lot to do since we are moving tomorrow. I need to go up to the property and finish up on the museum. All of the pieces are getting delivered later today. And most of the furniture and decor is being delivered for the house. Then I'm meeting some old professors and museum curators from the area to discuss the museum and plan the opening event. And Marcia and Mitchel are coming over for dinner tonight. You remember you're cooking out for that, right?" "Yes, I remember. I'll pick up the steaks this afternoon. Why aren't we waiting to have them over until we are moved into our new house?" "Because they will come over then, too but I really want to meet Mitchel and me and Marcia have a lot of catching up to do. Anyways. I really need to get going if I'm going to meet Bonnie at the property by 7:30. So I'm going to shower. Thanks for the coffee." Sophia said, rinsing out her cup and kissing him on the head as she walked towards their bedroom. "Wait. Are you planning on taking your car?" "I don't have anything else to drive. You need your truck today." "Okay I'm going to go take a look at it now. What car do you want? I might go buy a new one today. I really don't want you to be driving that old thing around anymore." Luke called. "Let me give it some thought. I really would like to be able to look at some different options instead of just buying a car. But if you think you can fix it before I have to leave, be my guest." At that, Sophia got into the shower and Luke went outside to look at her car. Twenty minutes later, Sophia was running around making sure she had everything she would need for the day. When she walked outside, Luke was taking her car apart trying to fix it. "Babe, I need to leave. I'm already late. Why couldn't you have done this later? Now I don't have a car to take!" "I'm sorry I just think I know what the problem is and I almost have it fixed. You should be able to leave in a little while." "No I have to leave now! I'm so late and I really need to be on time to that lunch." She paused to think about it. "Okay I'm going to call Uber and get a driver to take me to the property. That way you can keep working on my car and I can maybe get there kind of on time. Oh and by the way, I want a blue Honda Pilot with tan leather heated seats and a sunroof. I was also thinking that we need to get a dog. I want a family pet." "Okay I will go look at cars and dogs today. You'll do great at the lunch I promise. These people look to you. You are more powerful than they are and very respected. Knock 'em dead." Thanks. Love you!" She said as she kissed him goodbye and ran out to the Uber driver that had just pulled in.

Luke smiled when he looked at his ringing phone to see Sophia's smiling face. "Hello, beautiful." He answered. "Hey Luke. What have you been up to?" "Well I have a few surprises for you when you get home and I am going to heat up the grill soon. How has everything gone with you today?" "Great!

The lunch was very successful and I got an opening event planned with a very very low budget that you need to approve. I finished setting up the museum and the trucks with the paintings are about ten minutes away. So dinner will be in about three hours. I've already told Marcia. I'm going to try to be home in about two hours so we have time to talk and get ready. We also need to finish packing because we are starting bright and early tomorrow." "Okay sounds like a plan. Let me know when you're on your way home and then I'll heat up the grill. And you let me know if you have any issues with the paintings. They better take care of you or they will have me to deal with. And you make sure they know that." "Okay I will. Oh the trucks are pulling in! I'll see you soon! Love you." "Love you, too." He hung up the phone and went to finish up working on her car.

Two hours later, Sophia pulled into the driveway and was greeted by Dog and Luke. "Well how are my two favorite guys? Huh?" he asked, greeting Dog with a pat on the head and Luke with a long kiss. "We're great. Got all the paintings set up?" Luke asked. "Yep! And the security system, was installed as well. You know, I'm really gonna miss Dog. Too bad he can't come with us." "I know, but my mom needs him here. And this is his home. Are you ready for your surprises?" "I'm always ready for a surprise. Where to?" Luke covered her eyes with one hand and guided her with the other. "It's just around the corner." He whispered. They walked around the corner of the house and he uncovered her eyes, When she opened them, she saw a brand new blue Honda Pilot and Luke standing in front of it with the keys in his hand. She ran and jumped into his arms and kissed him passionately. "Thank you thank you thank you! It's my dream car! I can't believe I actually own a brand new car! I love you so much!" Luke set her down, laughing. And handed her the keys. "I love you, too. Anything to please my amazing wife. Now why don't you take her for a spin?" She took the keys and ran to the car. "Hop in! Let's ride." He hadn't seen her this happy in a long time. Her smile was so big, it looked like she would never be able to stop. She started the car, turned on the radio to their favorite country station and blasted the volume. Then, she opened the sun roof and put all the windows down. "Let's go!" She yelled and she sped off the property. The car may have not been some expensive Porsche, but it could certainly get up to speed and she had never loved driving a car so much. As they wound through the old country roads, they sang along to the music at the top of their lungs and enjoyed the sweet mountain air being blown in through the open windows. After a little while they returned to the ranch in order to get ready for dinner. When they got out of the car, Luke said. "There is one more surprise in the house so close your eyes." She did as she was told and he once again guided her into the house. As soon as she opened her eyes, she found a tiny German Shepard puppy laying on a blanket in the kitchen, wagging its tail. Sophia squealed and said, "How did you know this is my favorite dog? Is it a boy?" When Luke nodded, he walked over to Sophia who was now sitting on the floor holding the puppy and said, "And you get to name him whatever you want. "Wow. That's a lot of pressure. How about Levi?" She asked, looking up at him. "That's a great name. I'm going to get the grill going if you want to start getting the food ready. They should be here soon." "Marcia is going to love him! Are you cooking all of the meat?" "Yes ma'am." He called as he walked out the door. Sophia could not believe she had a dog!

An hour later, Marcia pulled up to the house and honked her horn. Sophia walked out on the porch to greet them. When they came up, she hugged Marcia and shook Mitchel's hand, introducing herself. "Luke is in the back with the burgers, if you want to go meet him, Mitchel. Marcia, wait until you see what Luke got me today." They went inside and Marcia froze immediately. She could not believe how cute the puppy was that was now sitting at her feet. "What is his name?" She asked. "Levi." Sophia stated proudly. "You better watch it, or I might steal him tonight!" She exclaimed, picking him up and following Sophia into the kitchen. "Do you want a beer, Mitchel?" Sophia called. "Sure." When she brought it to him he thanked her and walked out back to meet Luke. "Do you want beer or wine?" Sophia asked Marcia. "Um. Maybe start with some wine. Thanks." Sophia nodded and poured two glasses of Chardonnay. They stayed in the kitchen and chatted while Sophia prepared some other food. Than, they all sat at a picnic table outside and enjoyed each others company. Luke and Mitchel really hit it off and Sophia and Marcia were already joking that their bromance was too hard to compete with. When dinner was over, they all help carry everything inside and clean up. "I have a great idea! Let's go to one of those country bars and dance!" Marcia said. "That sounds like so much fun! Would you be up for that?" Sophia asked, turning to Luke. "I don't know I'm kind of tired." He mumbled "Please!" Both girls chorused. "Okay. Fine but you better be prepared for my fantastic dance moves. I might need to get a little drunk first, though." Luke complied. "Agreed. I don't think I have ever danced any kind of country dance before." Mitchel added. "Well I think we will all get drunk and have fun. It's nice to have boyfriends this time instead of frat guys, isn't it Sophia?" Marcia said. "Definitely. I love never having to worry about that." Sophia replied looking at Luke lovingly. "Then let's get going." Luke said. They all piled into his truck, him and Sophia in the front and Marcia and Mitchel in the back, and headed to the bar.

 **What did you guys think of Mitchel? should I keep putting Marcia in the story? Kepp giving me ideas for what to write!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hope you guys are still enjoying the story! My chapters are starting to get a little bit shorter, but I will try my very best to update more often to compensate... Please comment ideas for chapters or anything you want to see happen. The more ideas I have, the more I write!**

Sophia and Luke hadn't had that much fun since their wedding. They danced to the music into the late of night and, after dropping Marcia and Mitchel home, they enjoyed their night together even more. And to make things even better, they were moving to their dream home tomorrow. When the alarm went off the next morning, Sophia rolled over to turn it off and saw that it was five o'clock in the morning. She wanted to just roll over and go back to sleep, but she realized it was moving day! "Wake up Babe! It's moving day!" She shook Luke and he slowly woke up. "Moving day? I'm too hung over for this." "Oh come on! Get up get up get up! This is so exciting." She replied, kissing him softly. "Fine. When will the movers be here?" "Six O'clock, my dear." "Well we better get going." Luke said, rolling out of bed and pulling his clothes on. "Will you hand me my robe?" Sophia asked. He handed it to her and she put it on as she got out of bed. She jumped in the shower while he made breakfast and they ate together quickly before the movers came. When the trucks pulled in, Luke hurried to sign the contracts so they could begin loading everything up onto the trucks. By the afternoon, they had filled two moving trucks and both cars and were ready and they all piled in to the vehicles to head up to the property. It felt like a long drive, but they were there pretty quickly and in no time the trucks were empty and leaving. "When did we start to own so much stuff? We'll never get all of this unpacked!" Luke exclaimed, looking at the house full of boxes. "Don't worry, I'll have most of this unpacked soon and it's not that much!" "Okay, Well I need to work on transporting the cattle and horses so goo luck unpacking. I'll see you back for dinner. Love you." Luke said, kissing Sophia. "Love you, too!" she waved as she stood on their huge wrap-around porch and watched him drive down the long drive way.

When he returned that evening, she had unpacked the kitchen and their room. Luke had picked up bar-b-q from a near-by restaurant on his way back with the first load of cattle. Sophia met him at the barn where he and his friends were unloading the animals. "Hey Babe, you hungry?" Luke asked, stopping what he was doing to greet her with a sweet kiss. "Yes I am and we have an unpacked kitchen to eat food in. But I don't know what to cook. Never mind that I don't have any food to cook." "Never fear, Amy has once again pulled through with the finest bar-b-q in North Carolina." He said with a huge smile. "Great! Let's go to the house. Come on!" They both got in his truck after saying goodbye to their friends and drove up to the house to eat.

The two were sitting at the kitchen counter enjoying the delicious food and a casual conversation when Luke turned it to a more serious subject. "Sophia, I know you want to have kids and you want to start having them soon." "Yes, I do but I'm still on birth control, I want to be settled before we start trying." She replied, wondering where he was going with this conversation. "Well good. Because I've been doing a lot of thinking about all of this and I really want to have kids, as you know. But I want to do something special with you before we start having kids as well as be established here. I want to take you to Europe and I want to travel all around to several different countries. We'll stay in five star hotels and rent boats and go sight seeing. No budget no time limit just you, me, and the world. Once we get back here, I want to start our family. Do you have any objections?" He wondered. "Well, obviously having my husband take me around the world just because he wants to have fun with me would be pretty hard to pass up." She replied with a smirk. "So is that a yes?" "I don't even know why you're asking me. Of course it's a yes!" She squealed, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him. "Great! Well I wanted this to be your surprise present for our first official night in our dream home, so I've already assumed you would say yes and got a travel agent to book us the flights and hotels and tours and everything for a three week trip two weeks from now. We won't have to worry about taking care of anything while we are gone and everything is completely taken care of. Now we just go and enjoy." Luke explained. "How did I get so lucky?!" She squealed again as he picked her up and carried her to bed after a long day.


	12. Chapter 12

**I couldn't wait to post this one I had a lot of fun with it! I decided I would try writing a songfic so sorry if you don't like songfics. If you do like this chapter, comment ideas for songs or anything else you would want me to write about. I am also taking suggestions for other separate stories I could write about. Could be a TV show, a movie, or a book. You can review or PM me! Thank you! I also don't own this song or the book/movie.**

I got that real good feel good stuff  
Up under the seat of my big black jacked up truck  
Rollin' on 35s  
Pretty girl by my side

You got that sun tan skirt and boots  
Waiting on you to look my way and scoot  
Your little hot self over here  
Girl hand me another beer, yeah!

"Are you ready for our date, Sophia?" Luke called up the stairs. He had been waiting impatiently for her to get ready for the past hour. They had recently decided to go on a date once a week and every other week, the couple would dive into one of their worlds. This week, they were going to have a complete country date. They had both really gotten into this idea and the two of them did everything they could to dive into whichever world they would be acting as a part of that night. A few minutes later, Sophia came down the stairs wearing a white blouse loosely tucked into a short jean skirt, brown leather boots, a green and blue necklace, and the black cowboy hat Luke had given her the first night they met. Her hair flowed down her chest in soft curls and she had the lightest touch of makeup on. "Okay, I'm ready to go. How do I look?" She said, pausing at the top of the stairs to spin around and continue walking down the stairs. "Absolutely gorgeous. And you look very ready for the night I have planned." He replied, smiling widely. They took each others' hands and got into his truck. They drove out through the fields on the property and Luke parked on the outside of the corn field, at the edge of the river. The corn had grown up tall enough so it covered the truck. Luke walked around the front of the truck and helped Sophia out. He then grabbed a cooler from the back of the truck and produced to cold beers, one for each of them. He spread out a large blanket on the dirt by the water and sat down. Sophia quickly joined him and scooted as close to him as she could get.

All them other boys wanna wind you up and take you downtown  
But you look like the kind that likes to take it way out  
Out where the corn rows grow, row, row my boat  
Floatin' down the Flint River, catch us up a little catfish dinner  
Gonna sound like a winner, when I lay you down and love you right  
Yeah, that's my kind of night!

Might sit down on my diamond plate tailgate  
Put in my country ride hip-hop mixtape  
Little Conway, a little T-Pain, might just make it rain

You can hang your t-shirt on a limb  
Hit that bank and we can ease on in  
Soak us up a little moonlight  
You know I know what you like, yeah!

"You know, the first date we went on to that sushi restaurant?" Luke asked Sophia as they sipped their beers. "Of course I do. Best sushi ever!" She smiled, leaning into him. "Well I just remember walking behind you as we were lead to our table and you turned quite a few heads. And I just remember thinking 'how is it that she could pretty much have any guy in this place, why would she choose me?' And then I couldn't help but think 'All these guys want to be with her and take her out, but I get to be the one to do that and treat you the way you should be treated.'" "Well you know, I probably couldn't have had as many guys as you think I could, but I love how you treat me and how important it is to you that I'm treated the way I want to be treated and that you care that I get to do the stuff I want to do. It makes me not only so freaking happy that I did pick you but it makes me love you even more." She leaned over and kissed him. "That reminds me, I thought you might want to do something while we were out here, so I brought some fishing poles and some choice music." He said, standing up and playing a playlist that was essentially all of their favorite songs and got two fishing poles and bait. They tried to catch the catfish swimming quickly past them in the river and grilled the few small ones they did manage to catch. After they had a few more beers and finished their fish, Luke stood up and took his shirt off, throwing it on a tree limb. Sophia proceeded to duplicate his actions. They both stripped the rest of their clothes off and jumped in the river. They splashed each other and played and danced along to the music, laughing the whole time, only pausing to kiss each other passionately.

My kind or your kind is this kind of night  
We dance in the dark and your lips land on mine  
Oh oh oh oh oh, gonna get our love on  
Oh oh oh oh oh, time to get our buzz on

All them other boys wanna wind you up and take you downtown  
But you look like the kind that likes to take it way out  
Out where the corn rows grow, row, row my boat  
Floatin' down the Flint River, catch us up a little catfish dinner  
Gonna sound like a winner, when I lay you down and love you right  
Yeah, that's my kind of night!  
Yeah, that's my kind of night!  
That's my kind of night!  
Yeah, that's my kind of night!  
Come on...

The couple decided to get out of the water and were just putting on some dry clothes Luke had brought when their favorite song came on. "May I have this dance, Mrs. Collins?" He asked politely holding out his hand. "You may, Mr. Collins." She took his hand and she let him hold her close in his strong arms as they danced slowly around the small clearing. They decided they would spend the night there on the blanket by the river. It was one of the best dates they had had in a very long time.


	13. Chapter 13

**This chapter was supposed to be much longer but I feel bad for not posting ideas so here is part one and I will finish part two as soon as I can! Please keep commenting ideas for what you want to read about. It's really helpful! Enjoy!**

Two months later, Sophia and Luke walked into their house to be greeted by Levi. "Oh I missed you so much! Did Grandma Linda take good care of you?" She cooed as he kissed all over her face. "I'm sure they had a great time together. I'm gonna shower and get into bed. I'm exhausted and jet lagged." Luke said, leaning down to kiss the top of her head and take his luggage upstairs. "I'm just going to do some laundry and check on the museum and I'll be in bed soon." "Can't that stuff wait until tomorrow? I know you're tired just come to bed, Sophia." "I just want to unpack and do the laundry. You know I like to do that after I travel." "Okay. Suit yourself, but try to hurry, okay?" "You got it." She got up and drove down in the golf cart down to the museum to make sure everything looked okay. After she reset the alarm, she headed back up to the house and did the laundry. She knew he was right and she should've just left everything until the next day, but she always felt better when things were cleaned up. 'I guess this will all come in handy when I'm a mom.' she thought to herself, smiling. 'I really can't wait to be a mom.' Yawning, she went to bed and slept soundly. They had traveled to Spain, London, Italy, Germany, and France. Luke had made sure that they stayed in the best hotels possible. They walked on beaches, went on boat rides, and ate at some of the most well known restaurants in the world.

The next morning, Sophia rolled over in their big king sized bed and felt the empty spot left behind by her husband. She got up and put her robe on. She wandered down the grand staircase and out to the front porch where she could see the barn. As she looked down the hill, she saw her muscular man moving hay bales from his truck to the pallets in the barn, She looked down and picked up Levi who was climbing up her leg. "Today is the day that I tell him!" She whispered to him. Just then, she heard a whistle and looked out to see Luke waving at her. She waved back and went inside to start making breakfast.

An hour later, He walked in the front door and greeted her in the kitchen with a kiss and pet Levi. "Wow my favorite breakfast! AND I get to eat it with my wonderful wife!" "Oh stop you're making me blush! Now sit down and eat. You've got to get back to work and I have to get going too. " She replied. "What do you need to do today?" Luke wondered. "I have to work with a planner for the opening party of the museum and I'm starting interviews with professors for the college. All that to say, I have a very busy day planned and we both need to get going. I also have something I need to tell you." Luke stopped eating and looked up, sensing the serious tone of her voice. "What it is? Is everything okay?" She smiled and took his hands in hers. "Well, Luke, You're going to be a daddy." Sophia said. It took a moment for him to realize what she had just said. He was going to be a dad. He was going to have a child! Luke jumped out of his chair and picked Sophia up, spinning her around. "We are going to be parents?!" "Yes! Yes!We are!" She laughed and he set her down. "How far along?" "About two weeks. I went to the doctor yesterday and they confirmed the pregnancy. I wanted to wait until I was sure before I told you." She said. "Well this is something we need to celebrate and really do it up. Okay. Um I do need to get back to work but I'm going to surprise you but just put on your best dress or, better yet, go buy a new one. The fanciest you can find and be ready by 7:30. Okay?" "Okay. I'll see you then. Love you!" "Love you too. See you tonight."

Sophia couldn't keep the smile off her face the whole day as she sat through many grooling interviews and tried to find the perfect professors for the school she was creating. She couldn't wait for the date night she was about to have with Luke. She finished planning the opening party. It would be held in a local winery and she had invited some of the finest artists, authors and celebrities in the county. There were so many things going on and she couldn't wait for all of them to happen, but first, she was going to meet Marcia at the mall to shop for a dress for dinner that night.


	14. Chapter 14

**Sorry it's been a while since I've posted a chapter! I love your comments and hope you keep giving me ideas! Enjoy!**

"Hi, I'm looking for my husband, the most attractive man in this place." Sophia said, laughing as she talked to the hostess at The rooftop, the high-end restaurant on the roof of an old firehouse. "Um well we have a man waiting for his wife in the back. You can look around and see if you can find him." The smiling blonde answered. Sophia lifted up one side of her black lace floor-length dress so that she could walk. As soon as she rounded the corner and could see the back of the restaurant, she saw Luke's beaming smile and walked towards him. "There she is! The most beautiful woman on earth." He said, taking her hand and spinning her into his arms for a kiss before pulling out her chair for her to sit. "So how is the mother to be?" "I'm great. How has your day been?" "Fantastic. I got so much done at the barn and I am so excited that I get to spend my evening with you, my dear." He responded. "Luke, you are going to be the best dad. And you take such good care of me. I want to thank you for everything. For finding a way to love me through my flaws and on my bad days and my good days and continuing to promise your love to me every day no matter what. You are by far the best thing that has ever happened to me. I just can't get over how freaking lucky I am. I found my dream cowboy." Sophia gushed. "Sophia, you are the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. I don't understand how you think you're the lucky one and I am in constant wonder in how you have chosen me. I love your love for art and I love that I get to provide an outlet for that. And now we get to have a family together!" "Gosh I want to jump you right here when you say that stuff to me!" She said, blushing. " You'll have to wait for that." Luke replied with a laugh. "Your mom called me today and said there is a bunch of stuff in the barn and our old house that she wants us to clean out. I was thinking we could drive down tomorrow and try to get that done. It's been a while since we've seen her, anyway." Sophia said. "Sure. That sounds like fun. Great time to tell her about the new member of our family, too! Speaking of which, I know it's early but what do you think you want to name him or her?" Luke wondered. "I honestly haven't put much thought into it, but probably after someone really meaningful to u. What about you?" "I'm not sure. But I'm excited that we get to tart thinking about it!"

About an hour later, they were finishing up their food and paying the check. "How much is it?" Sophia asked. "Tonight is my night to take you on a date and pay for it and you don't have to know how much it was." "Fine don't tell me. But thank you for taking me out. I love our date nights. You have to promise me that when this baby comes, we are going to keep it up. Okay?" Luke grew very serious and reached across the table to take both of Sophia's hands in his. "Sophia, listen to me. I promise you that, when this baby comes, we are going to have weekly date nights, I will be home as much as possible to help you, and we are going to stay on the same team. This little human being is not going to tear us apart, he or she is going to bring us together. I will support you and love you and take care of you and I will never purposely do anything to hurt or harm you, okay? It's very important to me that you understand all of that before we go into this together." "Luke, Honey, you just said exactly what I needed to hear. Thank you. I love you so much." They payed their check and drove back to their property, but instead of Luke taking Sophia home, he drove her over to the tree by the pond where Ira used to read Ruth his letters to her. He pulled the truck up to the side of the pond and walked around to help Sophia out of the car. "Babe, this is a really nice dress. I don't want to be out here while I'm wearing it. And you have your nice suit on." "I know, I brought us a change of clothes. It' in the back of the truck" He said as he pulled out her favorite blue sundress and a button down and jeans for him. "Well you just think of everything, don't you." They both changed and Luke grabbed the box containing the letters and they walked hand in hand to the tree. Luke sat down and Sophia sat down in her usual spot, between his legs and leaning back on him. Every time they sat like this and read Ira's letters, they felt so connected and relaxed. "What letter are we going to read this time?" Sophia asked, intrigued." "well, I wrote my own letter to you and I wanted to share it with you tonight in this special spot. This letter is my hopes and dreams for our life, it's my hope for our family, and most importantly, it is all of my vows to you as your husband and co-parent. It is long and emotional but I hope you like it.

 **The next chapter while be Luke's letter to Sophia. What should they name their baby? Boy or girl? Comment and let me know what you think!**


	15. Chapter 15

**I am still working on this story so, if I don't post again for a little while, just know that I am going to continue. Enjoy!**

Sophia, my beautiful, sexy, gorgeous, caring, generous, loving, giving, kind, personable, delightful, funny, charismatic, and loyal queen of a human being, I want to start this letter off by telling you that you mean the world to me. When I first laid eyes on you, I thought, "she deserved to be loved to truly and so passionately every minute of every day for the rest of her life. I wonder if I could ever do that?" As time drew on and I had the privileged of getting to know you, I have realized that I often fall short of giving you the treatment you so richly deserve, and I believe no human being could truly treat you the way you deserve because no one could ever be truly good enough for you. You are so brilliantly made. Everything about you is perfect. I want to take this opportunity to share with you the promises I wish to make with you and keep forever. Along with that, I want to tell you everything about yourself that I am in love with.

To start, I love you physically. Your hair is as golden as the sun and I love the way it flows down your shoulders. I love brushing my hands through it as I pull it aside to kiss you. I love the way you can do anything with it and still look amazingly perfect. I love your face. As weird as it sounds, I really do. I love how I know the shape of it so well, the soft curves of your cheek bones and the way it feels up against mine. I love your eyes, so crystally and blue. Every time you look at me, I see the love you have for me and how much joy you have within you just to be alive. I love you skin, the smoothness and perfect coloration it has. I love your hands and your feet. At the end of a long day, I always look forward to coming home and taking your hands in mine and telling you haw much I love you. I love your feet when our are intertwined whether we are cuddling in bed, watching a movie, or just sitting at the table eating. I love your body as a whole. Your perfect curves and everything else. There has never been any reason to feel self conscious about your body because it is truly perfect. I can't get over the satisfaction I get of simply being able to put my hands around your waist as I pull you in for a kiss. I hope you never have self-doubt because you are flawless in every way.

I also love you mentally. Your mind is so quick and smart, it still amazes me. I love how creative and driven you are. When you need something to be done, you get it done. You don't seem to want to acknowledge this, but you are amazingly talented and gifted in everything you do. You have done amazing things with art. You are going to know exactly what to do when we have kids. You know how to put up with me. You're funny yet sensitive, and you always know exactly how to handle a situation. Not to mention that you are always right and you will never get me to say that again!

I love you emotionally. I have never in my life seen someone live their life with as much grace as you. You handle everything as if it is no big deal and you always know who needs what, when. You find the good in everything and you are faithful to what you have committed to. You never cease to amaze me in everything you do. Watching you interact with people is one of the most fascinating things for me to watch. Everyone immediately loves you and wants to make sure that they can help you get what you want,.

Most of all, I love your values. You have made it very clear to me that you have very strong family values. You are so culturally advanced and you have done so much in so ,any peoples' lives to make sure that they can experience the love you have to share with everyone. You have always planned to travel, collect art, and have a well-rounded family. I am so honored that you have chosen me to embark on this journey with you and help you realize so many of these dreams that you have. We are going to have traditions and such a strong family. There is no way anything could turn out any way other than perfect when you are involved.

I want to promise you that I will love you forever, never doubting it for a second. I will never leave you or think about anybody else the way I think of you. When I'm at work and can't wait to get home after a long hard day, you will always be the one I can't contain my excitement about seeing. I will always try to be home n time for dinner and I will help with our kids as much as I possibly can. I promise to love you inside and out and do my best to meet every single one of your needs, no matter how crazy they may be. I promise to never criticize you, judge you, or make you feel like you aren't worthy. I promise to travel with you and make sure you see the world. I promise we will go on weekly date nights no matter what and I will work as hard as I can to make sure we are always on the same page. I will always back you up in front of our children and I will never yell or treat you any other way other than royalty. I promise to provide for you financially, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Most importantly, I promise to just love you and let you be you, your most comfortable, relaxed, and joyful self. You are my home and my life. I never want to be without you. I love you, Sophia Collins, I really do.

As Luke finished reading the letter, he folded it up, set it aside, and looked down at his wife. She was smiling softly while tears silently streamed down her face. He turned her slightly so that he was facing her and began to kiss away her tears. "Are you okay?" He asked softly. She nodded and pulled her head back slightly so they were looking into each others eyes. "That is some elaborate letter you wrote, you could have just me to sleep with you of you want it that badly." She said laughing loudly with him. "Well, not saying it hasn't crossed my mind..." They both got the giggles and sat there, cuddling and laughing for a dew minutes. "Luke, nobody has ever even come close to saying anything like that to me. Do you know how good it feels to hear someone tell you all of your good qualities after you get up every morning and look in the mirror and list off every negative thing about yourself in your head? I not only know how much you love me, but I know how strongly you feel about me knowing it and how much you care that I'm happy. You make me feel so good and content. I am so in love with you. You're my best friend and my soul mate I have no idea what I would do without you!" When she was done talking, they kissed passionately for a while and eventually decided to go for a swim in the pond. They raced each other to the small dock and undressed themselves as fast as they could. Sophia jumped in first, followed by a big splash caused by Luke's cannon ball. He chased her around the pond and they splashed each other and laughed until it hurt so much, they couldn't catch their breath. Luke eventually caught up with Sophia and they swam around in each others arms for what felt like an eternity. "I wish I could freeze this moment and live like this forever. This ha been the best night." Sophia whispered in between the soft kisses the two of the were sharing. "Agreed. But it does have to end sometime. Speaking of which, would you like to get back home? It's pretty late." Luke wondered. "Fine. If we have to. But I expect to cuddle when we sleep tonight. We won't be able to cuddle for much longer because I'm going to be ginormous soon and I always sleep better when I know you are right there the whole night." "Sounds like a great plan. I'm always up to being able to hold you and make sure you can feel not only my presence but my love for you... Race you to the truck!" Luke yelled and immediately turned and started swimming as fast as he could to the dock, with Sophia only a stride behind him. They both jumped out of the water and grabbed their clothes thinking, _screw it, we don't need clothes anyway!_ Sophia managed to beat Luke inside the truck and squealed, "Loser has to kiss the winner!" Luke gave her a look of mock shame for losing the race and leaned across the console to kiss her. They drove up the their home and had he best sleep ever. The last thought Sophia had before falling into a restful slumber was, _I would give anything to live every day just like this._

 **Please Please Please PM me or comment names for the baby, boy or girl? What else should I write about for this story? Is there another story line (book or movie) I should write an extended ending for? Thanx for the comments!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Keep commenting and PMing ideas for baby names and gender! I am also interested in writing another story for a different TV show, movie, or book. Let me know if there is anything you would like to see me write!**

"Wake up, Luke. It's time to get over to your mom's house." Sophia said as she shook Luke softly until he rolled over and yawned. "Can't I sleep a little longer? This is like my only day to sleep in. Ever." Luke complained. "I know I know. But I let you sleep in long enough and we really need to get going." Sophia laughed as Luke grabbed her and rolled over so they were cuddling. "See, isn't this so much better?" Luke asked her. "No! Well, yes of course it is! But, Luke come one. Get up. We really need to go if we are going to make it there before lunch. And you know your mom has a huge lunch already prepared for us. Come on!" She said as she finally wiggled free from his arms and opened all of the blinds in the room. "Ugh. Fine fine. I'm up, okay?" Luke quickly threw on jeans and a t-shirt and followed Sophia out to the truck. They got in and turned the radio to their favorite country station and sang along to the songs the whole way to Linda's. As they pulled onto the driveway, Luke started honking and Linda came out onto the porch to greet them. Sophia jumped out of the car and ran over to hug Linda. "Hi Linda! It's so great to see you! We both misses you so much!" "I miss you guys too! If I had known that you wouldn't come by as often after the move, I never would have let it happen." Linda said, hugging her back and smiling. "Hey Mom, how are you doing? We have missed you. I'm sorry it's been a while." Luke greeted Linda as he hugged her. "Well come in! I have a great lunch prepared for you guys. I want to catch up. See how you guys are doing!" They all walked into the house and sat at the table to eat sandwiches, chips, baked beans, and watermelon. "So, Mom, Sophia and I have some news for you." Luke said, pausing to glance at Sophia in order to find her approval. When she nodded, he took her hand under the table and continued, "Mom, you're going to be a grandma. Sophia is pregnant." He couldn't wipe the huge smile off of his face. Linda looked completely shocked. "Are you serious? Congratulations! I'm so excited! This is the best news." She stood up and hugged both of them. "Well. Despite how happy I am for the two of you, let's finish eating so you guys can get to clearing some stuff out." They all finishes eating and Sophia ans Luke headed over to their old house to start cleaning it out.

When they opened the door, a cloud of dust blew up when they stepped in. "Okay so I think we can agree that most of this stuff because we obviously don't need it but I think we should box up the rest of the pictures and some of the kitchen appliances. Make sure you double check the furniture in the bedroom to make sure we don't need or want any of it." Sophia said, trying to pen some windows and let some fresh air in. "Sounds like a plan. I think the most cleaning needs to be done in the barn. I can always send my guys down here to clear out all of the furniture for a little extra money. If you want to decide what to do with all this stuff, I can get started in the barn. All I really care about in here are the left over pictures we forgot about." "Okay. What about all of your trophies? You left those here, too." "Those are from my bull riding days and that's behind me. I don't think any of us want to remember any of that." Luke said with finality. "Um, I do. I wouldn't know you at all if it weren't for your bull riding. You were successful and talented and it was your passion for some period of time. Even though you got hurt and had to quite and it caused a lot of tension between us, it's always going to be a part of us. There were some good things about it and not only do I want to remember the positive things, these are your accomplishments. Are you just planning on having an empty hole in our past for the last ten years? Out kids are going to want to know about it. It's something you should be proud of. It's a part of you." "I guess your right. It is a part of me and I will have to deal with that at times but I don't want a daily reminder so just give the trophies to my mom or something." "I'll figure out what to do with hem. You just go work on the barn. I love you." She called to him as he made his way out the door and towards the barn.

After she finished boxing the rest of the keep stuff up and labeled all of the furniture with what to do with it, Sophia headed over to the barn to help Luke. When she was in the doorway, she looked in to see Luke sitting on his old mechanical bull and seemed to be thinking very deeply. "Hey, Babe. Whatcha doing?" Sophia asked as she walked towards Luke. "I just have to figure out how to say goodbye to the bad parts of my past without forgetting the good parts. And it's hard. And you're right, our kids are going to wonder what I did and they are probably going to think it's cool. Sophia, I don't want the same things to happen to my kids that happened to me. It only started off with wanting to be just like him and now, well look at me, I'm full of metal and I out myself in danger of dying every time I got on one of the stupid bulls. Those 8 seconds used to be everything to me. I still can't even begin to imagine what would have happened to me if I had had another accident. I regret how stupid I was and I don't want our kids to be anything like that." Sophia put her arms around his neck. "Luke it's okay. We are going to figure it out as we go but, the most important thing is that you did give it up and you didn't have another accident and now look at the life we are creating together! We get to decide how much of your story to tell our kids and when. They are going to turn out great because you are going to be their dad and you can show them the mistakes you've made and show them what to do to insure they don't make the same ones. We just have to remind ourselves that you are here and you did choose me and you aren't going to ride again. That part I over and we have some things to be grateful for like the fact that we met and you learned many skill sets from the sport. We don't have to dwell on what could have happened. We can simply enjoy what we actually have right now." Luke looked up and kissed her. "You always know exactly what to say to make me feel better and you're right. I'm just glad I chose you because you're the best thing that has ever happened to me." "Dido. Now let's get to work. It's late and I want to go home soon." They got to work cleaning out the barn and before they knew it, they had the truck full of boxes and had arranged for the rest of the furniture to be given away. They were saying goodbye to Linda just as the sun was starting to set and got into the truck to drive back to their home. Luke was so glad he had Sophia to give her clarity. He knew their kids would turn out amazing because they were going to have her as a mom.


	17. Chapter 17

**I'm hoping I can post more often, but I'm kind of running out of ideas. Please continue to send me ideas or just comment in general (it means so much!) Enjoy this short chapter.**

"Where are you off to know?" Luke asked Sophia as he walked over to her car. She had just driven up to the barn and was talking to her through the rolled down window. "I'm on my way to the doctor. I know you want to be involved but this isn't like a sex telling appointment or anything. This is just to make sure there is still a human inside me and my body looks good. Okay?" She quickly explained after she saw the look of disapproval on Luke's face. "Fine. But I want to go to everything else after this one. Every shopping trip to buy baby clothes and toys. I want to help design the baby' room. Everything. And I mean it okay?" "You got it. Oh! I also wanted to ask you, what are our thoughts on finding out the sex of the baby when the time comes?" she asked. "Honestly, it's up to you, but I would rather know as soon as we can." "I agree. I'm going to go ahead and schedule the next couple of appointments today and I'll tell you them when I get back. But I have to get going. I love you see you soon!" Luke leaned in and kissed her, and Sophia drove off, leaving Luke to get back to work.

"Sophia Collins?" The doctor called in the waiting room and smiled when she saw Sophia acknowledge her. "The doctor will see you now. You can follow me." Sophia got up and grabbed her purse, following the nurse to the back. "The doctor is coming right in if you want to just take a seat in the chair." The nurse told her as the left the room and shut the door behind her. A few minutes later, the doctor came in smiling and said, "Hi, Sophia, how are you doing today?" "I'm doing pretty well, Dr. Melissa. How are you doing?" I'm good. So are you feeling any sort of pain or discomfort right now?" The doctor asked, starting to take her blood pressure and other vitals. "Not yet. I've had a little bit of morning sickness, but other than that nothing has really changed. I'm drinking tons of water and eating right. Luke and I are trying to make sure I don't get too stressed. It all seems to be going pretty well so far." "That's good. Make sure you're getting all the vitamins you need, too. I know you guys are going to be really good about making sure you take care of yourself. All of you vitals and tests look good and everything looks fine Do you have any questions for me?" "No, I don't think so. But I'll be able to hear the heartbeat and everything at the next visit, right?" "Yes you will, so make sure Luke comes. Are you sure there is nothing you want to ask me while it's just the two of us?" "I'm sure. Besides, everything is in the open between Luke and I. I can't think of anything I wouldn't feel comfortable asking while he's in the room. So I'll see you in two weeks!" Sophia smiled as she walked out of the room. This new chapter of her life that she was entering was sure to be the best. How could growing a human inside you that is half made up of the love of your life not be the most amazing thing ever?" She wondered. She truly felt bad for the women that couldn't experience the joys she currently was. She payed for her visit and said good bye to the nurses at the front. As she walked out of the office and got into her car, she decided that she and the baby deserved a delicious ice cream sundae.

Luke smiled and walked over to the road when he saw his wife driving up the driveway and rolled down her window. "Hey beautiful. How's the baby doing?" "Good. We just decided we deserved a nice ice cream sundae and a visit with you." She grinned as she ate a scoop of the ice cream. "That's good. You most definitely do deserve it, being the hottest mom-to-be in the world and all." He said laughing. "Listen, come up early for dinner. I want to actually spend some time with you tonight! And I need you to put it in your calendar that we have another appointment at the doctor's in two weeks. Marcia is taking me baby stuff shopping in town tomorrow. I'm going to get stuff to start decorating the room. Do you want me to buy a crib?" She wondered. "No. I'm going to build it. I had one of my workers go into town and buy the wood for it today. I should be able to start working on it this week depending on how well the work goes. I have a ton of stuff to do." "Okay good. I'm going to head up and start working on dinner. See you in about an hour?" "Sounds good. Love you." He kissed her and she drove up towards their house. She was making his favorite turkey and mashed potatoes. Mostly because she was craving it. They had a great time spending time together. She couldn't wait to see her little baby on the screen in only two weeks. Hell, she couldn't wait to see her little baby in her arms in eight months!


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey guys! I'm sorry it has taken me so long to write another chapter but I am back... I also started another story for the show Psych so if you love some Shules, please check it out and let me know what you think! And of course, please review!**

"Ryan, Travis, Molly, and Clarissa. You four get down stairs right now!" Sophia yelled as loud as she could. She immediately heard four sets of feet running around upstairs and down the stairs.

"Yes, Mom?" Molly asked innocently as she could. Molly was always the good kid and the one they elected every time to get them all out of trouble.

"Don't pull that look with me, Molly Elaine. Now all four of you know why I'm upset with you. So I'm just going to get straight to it. Do you guys think that all of the chores you are given every week are _optional_?! Not to mention the fact that all of you seem to think school grades aren't important. I'm sick of this. You know your father and I work very hard to maintain all of this land we built for you as well as his business, the college, and my art gallery. We don't ask a lot but we definitely need help. As for your grades, none of you have ever had bellow a B in any class and you all have a C in one thing. So, here's the thing. You four are going to be doubled up on chores for the next two weeks, none of you are allowed to leave this house for the rest of the week except for school, and you have until the next report card to bring every single one of your grades up or else. You got it?" Sophia said sternly. She was usually very lenient and all of her kids were great, but this was the last straw, she was sick of the way they had all been acting lately and she and Luke agreed they needed to take action.

They all nodded silently, knowing now was not the time to argue with her.

"Now I know your father is usually present when we address this stuff but he was extra busy today. That said, we are in agreement on this and he will tell you the same as I did. Dinner will be ready in about an hour. I want you all in your own rooms doing homework until then. No computers, TV, or phones. Just homework. Now go." She said with finality. It was really important to both her and Luke that they present themselves as a united front in front of the kids. They rarely saw them fight and they never disciplined the kids opposite to one another.

An hour later, Sophia had finally gotten dinner finished and had just put it all on the dinner table when Luke walked in the door. "Hey Babe. How's my beautiful wife?" He said sweetly as he walked over and kissed her.

"I'm good. I talked, well kind of yelled, at the kids today. I gave them their punishments and sent them to their rooms. If you want to call them down, dinner is ready. But wait, do you want to maybe change first cuz you kind of smell." She giggled as he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder.

"I smell bad huh?" He said laughing.

"Put me down! You smell so bad!" She could not stop giggling as she softly punched his back. He finally put her down, but pick her up and set her down so she was sitting on the counter. "I love you so much, even if you think I smell." They shared a sweet kiss and he pulled away.

"I love you, too. Very much. But your kids are driving me crazy!" She replied.

"Oh, so they're _my_ kids now? When did that happen?" He wondered.

"Every since they started slacking and being a bunch of lazy ass brats." She smiled. "I don't really mean that. I love them so much. I'm just tired and work is crazy as usual and they are just getting a little lazy with their responsibilities around here. But I think their punishments will set them straight and I still have you to help me through. But seriously, please go get the little monsters so we can eat. Then maybe we can see about getting you cleaned up." She winked at him and jumped down from the counter to get the wine for the two of them to have with dinner.

"You got it, babe." He replied, walking to the bottom of the stairs and called the kids down.

They all ran down, greeted, Luke, and sat down for dinner.

"So, kids, how was school? I can't believe you are all in high school now! You're all gonna get your grades up, right?" They all nodded again in response. "Well. I'm glad to hear it. Now that we are all on the same page, let's move on and have a nice night together. Your mother and I are upset by your decisions lately but we are not mad at you and I don't want to see anyone sulking. Your punishments are fair and I think we are all mature enough to return back to normal conversation now that we have gotten that aside. Agree?" He asked his teenagers.

Luke got several yea's and yes's and they all continued a conversation filled with laughter and love. Followed by a movie and a pleasant goodnight. As Luke lay in bed next to his sleeping wife, he couldn't help but think about how thankful he was that she could provide four amazing children like she did.

 **So, yes this is a chapter to show their family in the future. No, I will not continue in this time period. I just wanted to write a chapter about the future and I may do it again, but the next chapter will go back to present time. Let me know what you guys think about this idea and maybe I'll do some more like this!**


	19. Chapter 19

**I'm Back! Sorry it took me so long to update, but it doesn't seem like a lot of people are reading or reviewing at all. So, I think I might end this story. If you guys want me to continue, please let me know. It's really discouraging to not receive any feedback. That said, please enjoy this chapter...**

"Luke! Luke! Wake up Babe!" Sophia cried as she tried to shake her husband awake.

"What is it?! Are you okay?" He asked groggily when he startled awake.

"I think my water broke. We need to get to the hospital." She said with urgency. She swung her legs to the side of the bed and slowly stood up. Her due date for their first child was tomorrow and she was more than ready to no longer have the largest stomach in the world and ankles so swollen sometimes she couldn't even walk.

"Seriously?! Okay I'll get your bag and pull the car up. Can you get down the stairs okay or do I need to carry you?" He asked.

"I can get down okay. I love you, Luke." She said, smiling softly.

"I love you, too. So much." He said, smiling back. Then he ran downstairs to get the bags and car before she got downstairs.

"How are you doing, Sweetie?" They had been in the car for fifteen minutes and her contractions were getting closer together.

"I'm hanging in there. Are we going to be there soon?" She gasped as another contraction came. She hadn't experienced too much pain and she had actually gotten a decent sleep before her water broke, but having your first child is always stressful.

"Five minutes and we'll be there. I already called them and your room is ready. You're doing great."

Seven hours later, Linda came into the room to see the family of three. "Hi guys!" She whispered.

"Hi, Mom. Come meet Molly, your first granddaughter." He whispered back. She was sleeping in his arms.

"Oh, She's precious! What's her middle name?" She asked as Luke handed Molly to her.

"Elaine. It's Marcia's middle name. Cheesy but she means a lot to me and we decided Molly Elaine Collins had a certain ring to it." Sophia replied proudly.

"It's beautiful and that's great that it has a meaning. Makes it more special." She smiled.

Over the next few hours, Sophia's parents and several sorority sisters had come to visit as well as Marcia, Mitch, and a few people that had helped start the college. Before they knew it, they were on their way home with their first child. So much had happened over that couple of hours. Not only had they had their child, but Marcia told them she got engaged to Mitch and Sophia's parents announced they were going to move their diner to North Carolina in order to live near them. Now, everyone would be staying in the two guest houses on the property while they were visiting and assisting with the baby.

"I'm going to offer that Mitch and Marcia use the lake for their wedding. What do you think" Sophia wondered.

"That's a good idea. I don't know if she want to do it outside, but it would help them save money and it is really beautiful out there." He replied just as they pulled into the long driveway and saw it lined with balloons. Attached to the barn was a huge banner reading, 'Welcome to the family, Molly Elaine Collins!' and their family and friends were all gathered in front of the house, waiting for them. Luke knew most people would hate to be around people right after giving birth, but Sophia was different. She needed the social interaction when it came to her friends and family.

 **Again, please review! Thanks**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey guys. I decided I'm going to wrap this story up. I will finish with 25 chapters and they will all be as long as I can make them. If you have something you would like to read, please let me know. If I receive more feedback, I may do an epilogue. Please review or PM me what you think. It helps me to write more and update more frequently when you review!**

Sophia immediately woke up when Molly started crying. She was only three weeks old and they were keeping her in a bassinet in their room while she was still waking up so often during the night. "Do you need me to get her?" Luke mumbles, still half asleep.

"No, I got her. I think she's hungry anyway." Sophia said, rolling out of bed to pick up her daughter and feed her.

"You really are the most amazing mother, you know that?" Luke said lovingly as he sat up next to her. He usually woke up when Molly cried, whether or not Sophia needed him.

"You know just what to say." Sophia replied, leaning over to kiss Luke softly on the lips.

The next morning, Luke walked down the stairs and into the kitchen to find Linda making breakfast. He was getting up to go to work on the farm before the sun even came up. He had been getting up earlier lately so he could take a longer lunch and help Sophia with Molly and had been making her stay in bed to get every bit of sleep she could before the baby woke up.

"Hey, Mom. What are you doing awake and here?" He wondered, walking over to hug her.

Linda hugged him back and handed him a plate full of food. "I just thought I would come over and make my son some breakfast. I know you've been getting up earlier and making Sophia stay in bed, so I thought I would give you some company." She replied kindly.

They both sat down at the kitchen table and started eating. "Well thanks, Mom. It's really nice of you. How's the farm going?"

"It's good. The people I hired are really helpful and I'm making a great profit, the downsizing helped, but it's still running." She replied happily. They had been working as partners since Luke had started his farm and had seen great success.

"Well Son. I think we both need to get going. Why don't you let me watch my granddaughter in a week or so and you and Sophia can get out of the house for a little while?" She suggested. Sophia hadn't left Molly yet, but she was more than open to the idea and had already openly discussed leaving Molly with Linda because she trusted her.

"Sound great, Mom. Thanks. I'll talk to her and let you know. I know she doesn't want to leave Molly, but she's itching to get out of this house." He stood up and took both of their plates to the sink to wash them.

"Alright I'll see you soon, Luke. Love you, son." She said, hugging Luke and kissing him on the cheek.

Luke hugged her back and walked her to the door.

At twelve O'clock sharp, Luke walked through the front door of their house to see his wife sitting in the kitchen, rocking their daughter while she slept. "Hi, beautiful. How are you doing today?" He whispered, walking over to kiss her and Molly on the forehead.

"It's been like this. She's been so peaceful all day. It's been so relaxing and fun just hanging out with her. I was thinking about maybe leaving her with you to run down to the college for a few hours?" She wondered, knowing he would jump at the opportunity to spend time with their daughter, but that he was also exhausted.

"Of course, Babe. You know I would never mind getting some time with my little girl! Let me just run up and wash up a little bit so I don't wake her from my smell." He said, making her giggle.

"Okay. I have your lunch ready too, so I'll get it for you."

Luke ran upstairs and returned a few minutes later. Sophia handed Molly to him and he sat down to rock her and eat his lunch while Sophia went upstairs to change. A few minutes later, she ran back down with her hair in a bun and she was wearing a flowery peachy dress.

"Wow. You look beautiful." Luke exclaimed quietly, not wanting to wake the baby still sleeping in his arms.

Thanks, Love." She whispered back, kissing them both and walking over to the door to put her flats on and grab her car keys. "Is it okay if I'm back around three? There is a bottle in the fridge if she gets hungry and you can call me if you need anything." Sophia asked.

"That's fine. I just have a few things to wrap up this evening so take your time. Have fun!" He responded.

They waved good bye and Sophia ran out to her car and drove down to the college. They had expanded the college so there was actually a small dorm area that housed twenty students in a building connected to the classrooms. The rest of the forty-five students lived off campus. The museum was also extremely popular. Sophia was involved in all of the classes, attending all of them at least once a week to lend a hand and make sure things were running properly as well as remaining the head of the museum. While she finished her third trimester with Molly and her maternity leave, she had temporarily promoted her assistant to run the museum and keep tabs on the teachers. It had been about six weeks since she had been down there, and she was excited to see everyone. As she walked in the door, she was greeted with many 'welcome back!'s and 'congratulations!'.

"Hey guys! Where's Amber?" She wondered, looking around for her assistant.

"She's in the painting class down by the lake." One of the interns informed her.

"Awesome. Thank you!" She replied and wondered out the back of the museum, towards the lake.

As she walked up to the class, she called out, "Well how are the most talented students doing today?" All heads turned to look at her as they recognized her voice. Several greetings were called out to her and the professor said, "Mrs. Collins! Nice to see you again! Congratulations on the new member of the family. We miss you down here, though! Care to give us some insight on these paintings?" The professor asked, gesturing to the paintings the students were working on.

Sophia nodded and continued to make her way towards the group. "Wow these look amazing!" she continued to walk up and down the lines, suggesting things to each student and encouraging them to continue working their hardest. When the class was finished thirty minutes later, Sophia and her assistant, Amber made their way back to the museum and into Sophia's office. Sophia sat at her desk and amber sat in one of the two plush chairs on the other side. "How's it been going?" Sophia inquired.

"It's been going well. I'm really grateful I was able to have this opportunity. The classes are going smoothly and visitation number in the museum are still continuing to increase. I do have some forms I need you to sign, and we received an opportunity to go to an exclusive art auction and bid on several works from many European artists. It won't be until a few months from now, but we will need to prepare for that. I also received an offer to participate in a traveling art exhibit that would go around the world. We would receive a portion of the exhibit to place the works you own as well as some student work. We would have open a wing of our museum to feature the exhibit for a few months of the tour, and be able to exclusively trade and bid on art from museums around the world" amber rambled off excitedly.

"Okay that is a lot of stuff. Why don't we start with the forms I need to sign and you can give me the information you have so far for both of the other opportunities. I'll have to make some phone calls when I find the time and I need to talk to Luke about all of it. In the mean time, I need you to sit in on all of the classes this week and sent me a report for all the teachers, the progress of the students. I'll need a report on how the dorms are, as well as the museum, and I need a budget report for everything. I know it's a lot and it's kind of short notice, but Luke and I are going over all the expenses and plans for our businesses and properties next week. Have all of the interns work on it if you need to focus on the museum and call to let me know if you need me to keep an eye on things or if you have any questions. I should be able to come down her for a few hours a few days a week while Luke watches Molly if I need to , but I obviously want to keep that at a minimum until I actually come back. Does that all sound good?" She wondered, worried she was overwhelming the girl.

"I should be able to handle that. The interns are pretty helpful."

"Good. Also, I wanted to talk to you about your job as it stands. As you know, when I return, I will remain as the head of all departments and you will be stepping back down to my assistant. However, I don't want to limit you just because of my position so I am going to give you some options. If you want to stay, nothing could make me happier and I will look into giving you a raise. But, if you came into this job thinking you were going to one day end up at the top, I want to give you the opportunity to look for a better job with the ability to advance and keep this job until you find another one. If you do chose to leave here, you will always have a job here. I can't promise assistant if you leave, but I will always find a way for you to work here if you want to. I don't want an answer now. I want you to think about it. Maybe look around a little bit and consider your options. I can let you know what your raise may look like after our budget meeting next week, but just think about all of it. You are doing a fantastic job and I really have been able to enjoy this time with my family because I know I don't have to worry about this business while you're in charge." Sophia finished with a smile.

"I will definitely take all of that into consideration and let you know if I need anything. Thank you for everything. I should probably get back out there." Amber stood up and left the room after Sophia excused her and said goodbye.

As she drove back up to the house, she was relieved she had such a great staff to help her out during this time. She also really missed her daughter and husband.

"Hi Baby. How did it go?" She wondered as she walked inside and greeted her husband with a kiss.

"Perfectly. We were made for this." He responded lovingly.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Okay... so this chapter is super short, I just feel so bad for not updating for so long and I have absolutely no motivation to write for this story. I have no ideas, so reviewing and PMing me any ideas that would be very helpful. Please enjoy this short chapter. Sorry it's taking so long for me to update and for the lack of length.**

"Luke! I need Molly's diaper bag, her pacifier, and if you don't find that blanket so help me!" Sophia yelled down the stairs to Luke. She had been up all night with Molly because she had colic, Sophia had been sick, and Luke had been incredibly unhelpful with helping her find the things she needed. She was now standing at the top of the stairs, holding her screaming daughter, and waiting for her husband to appear at the bottom of the stairs.

"Babe, I've got the bag and pacifier. The blanket was dirty so I had to throw it in the laundry. Now, will you please stop yelling? I know you are tired and you don't feel well, but Molly is definitely feeding off of your stress. Why don't I take her and try to get her to calm down while you go and take a nice hot shower. Then when you're done, the three of us can take a nice walk down to the college and observe the sculpture class they are teaching by the lake. Then, my mom is going to come over and watch our sweet little daughter while I take you out for dinner. How does that sound?" He said calmly as he slowly walked up the stairs and took Molly from her.

Sophia took a deep breath, "You're right. I'm sorry. Yes. Please take Molly and I will shower. I'm sorry for yelling at you, I'm just exhausted and I feel like crap and I just hate that my baby isn't feeling well. But, you're right and I'm sorry and I'm gonna go. Thank you, sweet heart." She rambled and turned quickly towards their room before he changed his mind.

"Luke?" Sophia called as she exited their room, wearing a casual sun dress with her damp hair hanging in lose curls around her shoulders.

"Yeah?" He called from Molly's room.

She walked in to see him sitting in the rocking chair, gently rocking their sleeping daughter. "You got her to sleep!" She said softly, not wanting to wake her.

"I did. And I think she's doing better all together. Now you ready for that walk?" He wondered.

"Well, I have something to tell you." She hesitated, sitting down in the second chair in the room, and waiting for his signal that he was giving her his full attention. "I'm pregnant. Again. Baby number two is on the way." She rushed, laughing softly at how many things she was feeling.

"You're positive?" He asked excitedly.

"Yes. Absolutely positive!" She said.

"Well, I want to jump up and hug you but I don't think little missy here would appreciate that, so congratulations to us and I owe you a hug and a kiss." He whispered excitedly.

They got up and put Molly in her stroller so they could make their way down to the college.

"So what are you thinking for names?" Luke wondered.

"For another girl? I like Janice, Regina, or Clarissa. For a boy? I like Ryan, Theo, or Blake." She said.

Luke chuckled softly. "I can tell someone is ready for this addition."

Sophia absent minded-ly placed her hand on her stomach and smiled. "I think so. I want a couple of kids, but I've never really been able to decide how many I want, so we'll just have to see how it goes." She winked at Luke.

"You trying to get in my pants, Mrs. Collins?" He joked.

"Oh, always, Mr. Collins." She teased back, moving over so he could grab the hand of his that wasn't pushing Molly's stroller.

"Well. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens as far as our children goes. And, I think Molly is going to be the best big sister ever." He said lovingly.


End file.
